my talent?

I've continued to contemplate what to do about Uganda in terms of how to incorporate everything into my daily life. As I said in the previous post, it's been quite difficult. I've been stuck along with the other struggles I've been having, including questioning others' motives, judgment, and comparison. Then I was lead back to the parable of the talents found in Matthew:

"For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to another, one---to each according to his own ability." (Matthew 25:15). 

To each according to his own ability...that struck me. I know I've been judging and comparing and wondering why some live the way they do and why can't they live according to what I've experienced (which is rather prideful and conceited). However, we are each given to our own ability (whether we are given gifts or experiences or the like). God has given me everything that I've seen, everything that I've experienced, a new perspective, and the many ways that my heart and life have been changed...that is what has been given to me and what God has entrusted me with. In the same way, there are many things that God has entrusted to others and not necessarily to me...to their own ability. God gave me what Uganda entailed because I'm able to be entrusted with it, just as someone else is able to be entrusted with what God has given them. I'm not able with theirs, and they are not able with mine. Each according to his own ability.

Then later in the parable, each slave's faithfulness with what they've each been entrusted with is examined. The master tells the first two slaves who have been faithful:

"Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in your master's joy!" (Matthew 25:21,23).

And to the unfaithful slave the master says:

"You wicked, lazy servant!...Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:26,28-30).

Oooof, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the "wicked, lazy servant." I need to be faithful with what I've been entrusted with. It's not up to me to be concerned with what God has entrusted someone else with, rather, with what God has entrusted me with. Someone else's "talent" is between them and God, not me, them, and God. I've realized that it doesn't matter if others aren't living the way that I've been called to live, since they've never seen or experienced what I've seen and experienced. What matters is that I need to be faithful with all that God did and showed me in Uganda and to live accordingly. This is my talent that I've been entrusted with. I've come to realize that part of being faithful with it is living it out while explaining why. I need to talk about it and share it...talk about GOD and share GOD. I need to "put it to work," like the first two slaves did, rather than "bury it in the ground," like the wicked, lazy slave. Who God is, what He is doing, what He has done, and what He will do are not things to just "bury in the ground."

We have lots of "talents"---gifts, abilities, experiences, changes, responsibilities, ministries, etc.---all of which God has entrusted us with (even though I think it's absolutely CRAZY to think that God would trust me with anything). Will I be faithful with my talent? Or will I be lazy with it?