“So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.”
Matthew 25:25 (ESV)
The other day, I was teaching my daughter how to tell time over lunch.
I pointed to the clock and asked her what time it was. She stared at it for a while, studying the hands carefully. I could tell she was thinking, but she just stood there quietly. After a few seconds, I asked if she knew the answer.
She looked at me and said, “I think I know... but I don’t want to say it.”
I asked her why.
She quietly replied, “I think it’s wrong.”
So I encouraged her to just try. “It’s okay if you get it wrong,” I told her. Still she refused. After a little more convincing, she finally gave her answer.
Turns out, her answer was actually correct.
As I reflected on that moment later, I realized that the biggest obstacle wasn’t that she didn’t know the answer. It was that she was afraid of being wrong. That fear kept her from saying what she already knew and from learning whether she was right or wrong.
I wonder how often we do the same thing with the gifts God has given us.
Jesus tells a story about a servant who was entrusted with a talent. When the master returned, the servant hadn’t lost it or wasted it. He had buried it. And when asked why, his answer was simple: “I was afraid.”
I used to think this parable was mainly about stewardship. And it is. But lately I’ve been wondering if it’s also a story about fear.
Fear has a way of convincing us that hiding is the safest option. It tells us to wait until we’re more skilled, more confident, or more prepared. It whispers that if we put our work out there, we’ll be misunderstood, criticized, or fail. So instead of risking obedience, we bury what God has entrusted to us.
The irony is that, just like my daughter, we may already have more than enough to begin.
We don’t need to know everything before taking the first step. We don’t need to create something perfect before sharing it. Faithfulness has never required certainty. It has only required trust.
That’s what challenges me about this parable. The servant wasn’t rebuked because he lacked ability. He was rebuked because fear kept him from doing anything at all.
Maybe there’s something you’ve been holding back.
A story you’ve been wanting to write. A ministry you’ve been sensing God calling you toward. An idea that’s been sitting in your notes for months. A gift you’ve quietly buried because you’re afraid it won’t be enough.
What if, instead of waiting until you feel completely ready, you simply took one faithful step today?
After all, courage isn’t the absence of fear, but simply being willing to answer, even when your voice is shaking.
🙏 PRAYER:
Father, thank You for the gifts You've entrusted to me. Forgive me for the times I've allowed fear, comparison, or perfectionism to keep me from using them. Give me the courage to faithfully steward what You've placed in my hands, even when I feel uncertain or inadequate. Help me trust that You are more interested in my faithfulness than my success. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Take a few quiet minutes today and ask yourself this question:
“What have I buried because I was afraid?”
Write down the first thing that comes to mind. Then ask God to show you one small step you can take this week to bring it back into the light. You don’t have to finish it today. You simply have to stop leaving it buried.
Today’s BOOST is adapted from Lesson 3: Creativity Is Stewardship in the Faithful Creative Academy. If today’s devotional encouraged you, you’ll find a deeper study, reflection questions, practical exercises, and companion resources inside the full lesson.
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