God has given us each a grace for doing certain things well. And the expectation is for us to be wise and courageous stewards with what he has given us – taking our grains of wheat and making bread.
God placed man in the garden to work and keep it – to cultivate it and develop its potential. Certainly to admire and be grateful for all that was given, but also to get his hands dirty as he worked to bring out its glory.
This is what the baker does. On the one hand, he’s thankful for the blessing of wheat. But he shows his gratitude best by taking this wheat and making bread. It would be dishonoring to God and a disservice to his community to simply store the grain without cultivating it into something more. This was the sin of the wicked and lazy servant in the parable of the talents, who buried what he was given rather than multiplying it.
And this is the question for us: Are we storing grain or making bread? Are we cultivating the raw materials God has given us to make something more – our strength, insights, skills, and the like? Our calling is not simply to sit on our gifts, even with gratitude. Our calling is to make something from it that can bless and serve others – to feed their souls, and ours as well.
For instance, we learn to use our insights to make meaningful connections, our hands to protect and provide, or even our money to fund and build great things. Whatever it looks like, we’re not keeping the grains God has given us to ourselves.
Our danger is rarely active rebellion. It’s unused capacity. We’re thankful for our gifts, but all too often we’re not willing to get our hands dirty. And so our talents remain buried.
What have you done with the fields of wheat God has given you?
Photo by Tracey Parish on Unsplash
