Dear Father, Jesus told a story about a man traveling into a far country, who called his servants and entrusted them with his goods. He gave five talents to one, two to another, and one to another. While the first two traded with what they had received, the one who had received a single talent came and said, “I was afraid so I went and hid your talent in the ground” I previously assumed that one talent represented a small value. But upon studying, I learned that one talent is equivalent to 6,000 denarii, and one denarius was a worker’s daily wage. In practical terms, one talent amounted to about 15–20 years of wages. In other words, the third servant was not neglected, under-resourced, or given “too little to matter.” So, if the one talent was so valuable, why bury it? The servant explains himself: “I was afraid… and went and hid your talent in the ground.” It was fear, not lack. He wasn’t limited by what he was given--he was afraid to use it. There is a subtle similarity between fear and lack when it comes to stewardship. It is easier to say, “I am limited,” than to admit, “I am afraid.” Yet more often than not, it is fear that constrains us--including the fear that what we have may not be sufficient. However, this illustration makes it clear that the cost of doing nothing outweighs the risk of acting, even when afraid. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #stewardship