I was afraid...

This has always been one of my most difficult sections in NT reading. I am not sure I understand it very well.

As I was reading it today, I thought I might have caught something I never caught before. I think I figured out finally the attitude of the man who buried the gold and didn't invest it. I took a risk with my money a couple of years ago. I invested in a house that there was no way I could afford, with the thought that I would sell it at a profit and move the profit into my church. In fact, before I even signed on the house, someone offered me a very large sum of money to take over my contract. I declined.

So, then the bottom fell out of the market, and now I am in a house that is far too much for one person, and pretty much mine for the duration now. I am not complaining, it is a well built house, but my intent has been changed a bit by market factors. Now, it may be a decade or two before I could get a profit, if ever. That being the case, now it's just a matter of how much I am willing to lose. Losing a "little" may be the profit over losing a "lot."

So, my attempt was to take a risk with my money for a benefit for my church, and I failed. Had I buried my money in the yard, I would have just as much today as I did then, and would not have lost a very large amount on losing a "lot" on this house. So, over the last year or so, I wondered if I would be worse than the man who buried his money in the ground, because I have lost money, and at least he did not.

But, I didn't "not" do this because I was afraid. When I read the section today, I didn't just gloss over the facts of how much each servant made, or at least did not lose. I read about the attitude of the servants. The one who buried the gold was afraid, and that is why he buried it. Paul says "perfect faith casts out fear." I'm not sure I had perfect faith my financial deal would turn out alright, but I do consider myself to be faithful and ask Him for help. I am certainly not the only one in this country in this situation.

So, it seems that, again, things go back to the heart, the attitude behind the motivation.

Mercy, not sacrifices. This always seems to be one of the primary message of Christ.