The New Collossus

I'm sitting in the living room of our relitavely new house, enjoying a fire in the fireplace, soaking in the joy that christmas lights bring to me, and reflecting on a passage that I read today

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
"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!'
"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
"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!'
"Then the man who had received the one talent 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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
"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? 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.
" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the 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.' "

For many who live in the luxury of a first world country, this is easy to figure out. God is the Master. We are his servants, and he gives us things in order to multiply them and to make use of them. But a whole other perspective was brough up in discussion today. From the perspectvive of the poor, the weary and the oppressed. What if the master really is just a wicked man, some kind of leader who is making the masses do things that are morally wrong? It was said today that when people made money of such quantity (One Talent was ALOT of money back then.) they had to do bad things to get it. Most money was made back then through owning land, and in order to own land, people would loan money to people on surrounding lands, and if they couldnt afford to pay it back, then the land would automatically become thiers, and so on and so forth. Opressing the poor and the weary. Could it be the parable is really addressing the social unbalance that exists? The Rich get richer, the poor get poorer. The third "wicked, lazy" servant really just a man strong enough to stand up for himself and not engage in the activities involved in money making?
This is a very interesting perspective, one that i've clearly never thought of before.

Have you?? Is this another way to tell us to be in the world but not of it?
This is something I have really struggled with in the past, and something Im sure I will continue to struggle with. right now i'm really working on this one aspect of my life: bieng here, but not bieng a part of what goes on. Right now it's easy for me to just say "no" to certian things, like going out and drinking and partying. Back in the day it sure wasn't. I wanted so badly to just fit in that I would have done (and did do) anything in order to be part of the world.
That wasn't me. that wasn't who God designed me to be. I became somewhat of a social robot, doing everyone's bidding BUT god's and the godly people I had surrounding me. It destroyed me a little bit at a time, and no one could heal my brokenness. No one could touch my heart or restore my spirit. I dove further into the world that I was slowly conforming to. That didn't help.
This whole time there was a tapping on my shoulder that I chose to ignore. Finally one daylast summer, the tap became a thunk on my head. I opened my eyes, but more importantly I opened my heart and allowed God to breathe on me and heal my hurt. He touched me and took away my brokenness. I am GOD'S CHILD. Thankfully I've come to realize this, though through no work of my own. Only God could have healed the scars that I left on my heart. ONLY GOD could have taken my shame and turned it into joy for his sake.
and HE did. But .. well I guess it took time for me to become serious..

Im just a girl to this world in which i live. But to God I am so much more. He has taught me that and for his love I am so thankful. I want to live forever in his love and with his hope and joy, and the peace that he has brought to my heart. I realize that this blog is scattered, started talking about one thing, went off onto another topic. But it's really all one topic, because it's God's story..

It makes me think about the poem by Emma Lazarus, where she says :

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

I relaize that she is speaking of the statue of liberty, but it makes me think of God. He wants us all. He can heal anything he can take away our pain .. and he will. we jsut have to learn to let him.

xoxo