Can We Be Brave Together?

Written by Erin Richer

I’ll never forget the evening I typed out a post offering to teach a sewing class out of my home. Fear and trepidation gripped me. I made hundreds of drafts, and thought all of the thoughts: “I don’t know how to teach… Who do I think I am?… People will think this is dumb… Almost anyone out there could teach this better than I could.” There were a million reasons not to hit “post.” But here’s the thing: I love to sew, and recently a handful of people had expressed a desire to learn. I had so many insecurities and I knew the virtual world could be incredibly cruel. The thought of falling on my face was so overwhelming that I almost didn’t. But the hope of teaching people something I love outweighed the fear, so I clicked the blue button. It was posted. I consider that the day I invested my first talent. It was brave.

Reading the story found in Matthew 25:14-30, I spy bravery there, too. In this story, three servants were entrusted with their Master’s riches: one was given five talents, one was given two talents, and one was given a single talent. The first two guys took their Master’s riches and multiplied them. But the man who was given one, took his talent and buried it deep in the earth. We find out, at the end of the parable, that he believed false characteristics about his good Master.

He chose the fear of failure over courageously stepping out to use what God had given him. He preferred playing it safe and being lazy rather than experiencing the joy of seeing God multiply His blessings for the benefit of all around him.

But in the story of the servant who was given five talents… that’s where I glimpse bravery, especially if we assume that there was a time when he only had one talent. Everyone starts somewhere, right? At some point, he proved his ability when he took a risk and was brave. That moment he took his first talent and made it two, and then four and then five and ultimately ten. How did he do it? He made a choice. He knew his Master’s character consisted of boundless grace, and so, he chose to believe in Him and His faithfulness. For five-talent-guy, he had enough experience with the Master’s talents to know—when it comes to the Master’s possessions failure isn’t even a possibility. The Master doesn’t fail. 

We are brave when we take risks and trust our Master… when we take a tiny little talent that we’ve not been given but rather entrusted with, and we bravely offer it to the world, unsure of whether it will bring anything of value to anyone at all, but sure that God can and will.

It’s that first offering of the smallest gift God has deposited in us, hoping that God’s faithfulness to take our offerings and bless and multiply them is actually true. It’s the moment when we choose to put it out there, knowing that people could laugh at us… but then wonder, what if they don’t? Or when we take that first step, knowing we just might fall, but act on the vision of what happens if we actually fly. 

I’m so grateful for the day I wrote that first post on my small community page. It was one of the bravest moments of my life. I realize that reads dramatic, but it’s true. When I pushed “post,” I didn’t consult anyone, not even my husband. I didn’t inquire of my friends whether it was a good idea. I white knuckled my way out on that limb alone and offered a piece of myself to the world. I didn’t know what would come of it, but within twenty-four hours that class filled up. It was a resounding success. But becoming a successful sewing teacher wasn’t the fruit of that investment. By stepping out and trusting God with this desire, I discovered I’m a teacher. 

That talent grew into two talents. Now, I wanted to teach God’s Word. I began a series of non-denominational women’s Bible studies. Then, it grew to four talents as I surrounded myself with other women willing to risk their talents in faith that it would bear fruit; together, we began a large women’s fellowship event called Illuminate. I had embraced teaching as a love and a call. The first event led to five more. By the time our tour ended, I had taught hundreds of women about my Master’s faithful love. We left almost a year ago and two more Illuminate events have been held there since—all returns on His investment. 

As I write this, Dive Collective’s website will go live within hours. My skin is literally tingling writing that sentence. I can feel every prickle of insecurity rising from my soul into my flesh. The possibility that God might exchange His four talents for eight is exhilarating, but I have the same fleshly feelings I did when I invested that first talent and, if I’m being honest, it makes me mad. This should get easier. But it doesn’t feel easier; it feels familiar. It feels so vulnerable; the scope of audience to whom I’m exposing myself—my theology—is far more vast than ever before. But the reality that God might entrust me to reveal His love with the wide world is insanely irresistible. And so I leap.

When we trust that our Master is good and we take what feel like vulnerable risks with the gifts He’s entrusted to us, it is a very brave thing.

By the time we see fruit from our first investment—and we will because God doesn’t fail—we grow trust in our Father’s faithfulness to all He possesses. It makes us more courageous to push through the familiar feelings of vulnerability. Then we make that second, third, and fourth investment and become servants whom the Master can entrust with much. 

Any day our Master will come and collect, and when that happens, we are going to realize that all of these talents, skills, and gifts have always belonged to Him. One day we will stand with Him in glory and gaze upon the full return on His investments. The end of the parable tells us that together we will share in our Master’s joy.

All the joy the Master gets from the fruit of our investments He shares with us in full. 

This is the heartbeat of the Collective. As we mature in our knowledge of the Messiah Master, as we grow to learn His character, as we learn that He can be trusted, we will begin (or continue) to walk out our callings and share our gifts with one another and the world. We want this to be a safe place—a training ground—for this risk taking behavior as we begin to invest our talents.

Some of us may be able to identify right away the talents we’ve been entrusted with—the gifts and skills we’re already using. If that’s the case, we can share the stories of how God has multiplied them already. We want to hear! Increase our faith!

For those who are only now considering investing their very first talent, we want to be the sound of applause over every brave offering.

And there are those, perhaps, who have no idea Who was giving out talents and when. That’s fine, too! Surrounded by His people, immersed in His Word, encouraged from the sidelines, we have every confidence that as you learn more about Him, you’ll discover more of who He created you to be!

Together we’ll keep our eyes fixed on that day when collectively God’s people form every tribe, tongue, and nation will stand before Him and share in the fullness of His joy. What a promise.

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Matthew 25:14-30  (NIV)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

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