Coming out of school I wanted to be a football/basketball coach. I enjoyed that endeavor for about ten years, and I learned some lessons I needed myself. Athletics offer opportunities that can bring many positive results, but being involved in sports also provides a means by which a man or woman can grade the use of the skills and abilities they have been given. We can do so, but only if we “want to”.
During those years I found that some of the young men I coached were blessed with a high degree of raw talent, needing only hard work, instruction and motivation to be very good at the game. Unfortunately, some of them never reached their full potential. Such a disappointment.
In that same time frame there was a young man coming out of the ranks of College football. I don’t even remember his name, partly because no one ever heard from him again. He had all the tools, all the skills of a star in the professional game. He was a “first round pick” in the NFL draft and went to a prominent team. It was not long before the word “under-achiever” began to be heard about that young man. He seemed to have the skills, but not the necessary work ethic to achieve his potential. He lasted two years, always in a minor role, and was released, never to play again. He was an under-achiever.
Much of the work that brings out the talent of a young athlete involves the use of muscle, mind and maturity. A child approaches a game with the primary purpose of amusing or entertaining himself. Fun is the goal, and that’s not a bad one, but at some point, however, the athlete must realize that their character is evaluated by the effort they put into both work and play. Some never get beyond the “fun” element, and there it ends.
The athlete is not by himself in this regard. There are many in the business world, in public schools, in industry, in politics, and in the church who are also achieving less than their potential.
The “Want-To” Element
The talent of a Christian is not always as easy to assess as it is in football or other athletic efforts. Skill and talent are important, yes, but it is not unusual to find much of the work in a local congregation being done by individuals who are more motivated than talented. It comes down to the “want to” element that is found in some, but absent in others.
Even those of us with limited talent can sweep the floor, empty the garbage, clear the tables and wash the dishes. But if the “want to” is not there, it will be easy to find a “reason” why we cannot be part of the work force.
Jesus told the story of a man who did not have the “want to” element within him. In Matthew 25:14-30 He tells of three men who are commissioned to use the money (“talents”) of their master. The job involved taking those “talents” of silver or gold and investing them in ways that a good return will be the result. One man, because he was more skilled, was given five, another two, and another only one.
The first two put their money to use and gained 100% interest, while the third, the one-talent man, did nothing. You know the story, and you know the lesson to be learned. Among others we learn that God does not expect of us that which we are not capable of doing. But the “one-talent-man” is the under-achiever here. He was reprimanded severely and given his “walking papers.”
The “Want-To” Element Applied
This is not merely a wise saying, but is a principle applied to all. Note the words of Jesus in Luke 12:48:
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.”
All of us have known and seen people who do great work for the Lord. I recall a man stricken with the dreaded polio. He could not walk. He merely sat in his wheel chair and wrote letters to those in the mission fields, to shut-ins, to those in hospitals. Yes, he was limited by his body, but not by his spirit. We have members here who send cards on a regular basis; others regularly mail out the bulletin to those who are unable to be with us in our assembly.
These – the “over-achievers” – are a blessing to us all. May their tribe increase!
