What Is That In Your Hands?

As I read, “Just Begin” an excerpt from Max Lucado’s book ‘Cure for the Common Life’ as my weekly devotional this morning, the theme of this edition keeps resonating in my mind.
It is a question I have asked myself repeatedly in the face of diverse challenges in the past one year and has become one of the major bookmarks of my life.

It is summarized in the age long story of an ancient powerful merchant and his three servants. One morning, he called his three servants Abdul, Sule, and Ali.
He loaned them his money according to their unique abilities so they could invest it while he was away trading in a distant land. To Abdul he gave five talents, to Sule he gave two talents and Ali he gave one talent. He then proceeded on his journey to the Far East.

The three servants went on with their lives until one evening when the lateen sails of their long gone master’s dhow appeared on the horizon.
He then summoned his three servants to give account of the loan he gave them before his sojourn.
With careful investment, Abdul and Sule succeeded in doubling the money that had been loaned to them, but Ali put his own in a strong box and hid it in a dark place where no one would find it except himself! He then said to the master, I know you are a hard man you reap where you do not sow so I kept your talent for you!

The master said to Abdul “well done good and faithful servant”, to sule he also said ‘well done good and faithful servant’’, but he ordered that Ali who hid his one talent with grumbling and complaints be sent to the dungeon.

Note that the master gave the same reward to the first and second servant, altering no phrase,
He would have given the same reward to the third servant if he had made profits from his loan.

The moral of this story gave me an evolving expression to the attributes that should embellish the ultimate definition of success, the master’s reward was not based on how much they made but on the ability to make use of what they have.

Ali probably hid his talent because he thought it was relatively small and insignificant to add value and make profits, when it is compared to what others have.

As young women in today’s fast-paced world and in a society that does not consult our strengths and weakness before it leads our life - If we allow! , we are so prone to measuring ourselves by the achievements of others.

Atimes we judge other women’s life by the yardstick of ours’ and lookdown on them when they do not attain to our standards, we judge them by the quality of clothes they wear, by the job they do, by where they live, by who makes their hair and fix their nails, by what they ride, by who they are with, where they have been to ….. overlooking their uniqueness and location on the journey of life.
We also sometimes allow our esteem to be trampled upon by others that have seemingly more than we do.

It is evident in his remarks about the master; Ali felt the master was being a hard man by giving him just one talent and expecting him to bring returns while he gave the other two servants more than he gave him.

Isn’t that how life gives us? In different number and sizes and at different times but then life still expects the best of what we have been given, little or much.

We should never let the success of others and the quest for ‘manyness‘ intimidate us to hide what we have and from doing what we can at every given time. We should rather be motivated to embrace the potentials that exist in our unique experiences.

While we work towards progress in our lives, we should not waste valuable energy wishing that things were different but instead we should evaluate what we have no matter how seemingly insignificant and make a maximum use of it.

Although the society has gradually equated success to ‘how much’ and ‘how many’, but I think a closer look at John Wesley’s quote will bring sanity into our lives as women in the present race for more and more.

He said ‘’ Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long ever as you can’’

What is that you have in your hands?

This question kept popping up in mind some months ago at a time that I was at the peak of dissatisfaction with my progress in life.
Then one day I lifted my palms to my face and took a closer look at them, I sat down to answer the question!

I have a low paying and dissatisfying job after months of unemployment and I have been trying hard to get another one, I have a long relationship that everyone keeps reminding me its due for marriage, I have a teenage sister paddling on the storms of adolescence and needs guidance, I have skills that needs avenue for expressions , I have a long list of material needs, I have friends good at disappearing acts, I have ideas for initiatives that my bank account doesn’t cooperate with, I have financially overwhelmed parents, and the list goes on……………………, more negatives, few positives!

Taking time out to evaluate these helped me put the pieces of the puzzle together to make a whole lot of sense. While I work hard at making progress in my life I do not have to whine and sulk (its really hard not to, believe me!), I simply have to make the little contributions my resources of time, money, ideas, skills, positive attitude, love …can afford in all these lives and situations.

I don’t have all the resources to make changes, but there sure is something (Writing Women Connect is one of them) I can do in this entire situation no matter how minute it’s going to make a change.

What is that you have in your hands?

It is not a call to be passively content but to enjoy where we are and maximize all we have while we work hard on making progress.

For some women, their list has more positives than negatives but pleasant or not, are you willing to use it and make it grand?

Quote of This Edition
v I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something.
- Helen Keller (1880-1968) - An author and Educator who became blind and deaf at an early age.


Tasks of This Edition
v Evaluate seemingly insignificant things you have in your hands right now and explore ways of using them to add value to yourself, others and situations.