FEAR of Rejection – The Reason We Hoard Our Spiritual Gifts

Matthew 25:25
“Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival, I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

A Divine Revelation

The main lesson of this parable is, what I refer to as, the “spiritual hoarding” of our gifts, talents, and ultimately the hope of heaven. Just like the servant above, many of us bury our gifts, talents, and hide our testimony from others, and then blame others for being the reason we do so. Our fear of rejection and ridicule causes us to be remiss in sharing the true riches of our inheritance in Christ. Our need for control causes us to hold tightly to the gifts God has given us with a possessive selfishness that benefits no one including ourselves. Let’s look at the issue of hoarding and see if we can find the parallel between this dysfunctional behavior and the reasons we hoard our spiritual gifts. 

Well, hoarding is an addictive behavior that stems from an inability to let go of things even when those things begin to literally bury us alive. It is steeped in fear of rejection and a need to control as well. Fear of rejection creates a mistrust of others that causes hoarders to live in isolation by insulating themselves with the things they hoard. Things provide comfort amid the pain. Possessions provide a sense of security that is nurturing and safe and can’t leave or abandon them as people do. Also, acquiring things provides a temporary distraction from the pain of loneliness which gives them a sense of control. It also provides self-worth when others see them as worthless. Sadly, hoarders often see things, instead of relationships, as a source of unconditional love that makes no demands on them and has no expectations attached. This is why those who hoard are so resistant toward those who try and help them un-bury themselves from all the stuff they’ve amassed.

Maybe the servant in the above Scripture held on to his talent for many of the same reasons people hoard. We see that his mistrust of his master made him cynical and complacent in his duties. His judgment of his master robbed him of the motivation to please his master. Fear of rejection caused him to be unwilling to share his talent in a way to profit others and his need for control caused him to selfishly bury his talent instead of investing it. In the end, instead of taking responsibility for his choices, he blames his master for his actions. However, the master doesn’t buy into it and the rebuke of this servant is severe.

A Divine Challenge

How does this parable of the servant and the hoarder analogy pertain to us as believers? Does our mistrust of authority bleed into our relationship with God? Do we see God as a harsh taskmaster or the role of servant as something beneath us? Are there talents that God has given us that we hide or hold back from sharing with others for fear of rejection and disapproval from others? Is our attitude regarding the gift of salvation and our spiritual gifts possessive and controlling to the point that we keep them to ourselves? Do we even know what our spiritual gifts are? Have we invested any time in learning how to share our faith with others because we fail to see it as a command of God to do so? These are tough questions, that for many, trigger resistance to God’s intrusive desire to use us to benefit the lives of others.

Just like the hoarder or the servant in the parable, we often hide the God in us from those around us. Fear of rejection and our need for control often cause us to bury the treasure of salvation or hoard our spiritual gifts, keeping them safe from the critical eye of others. But who are we really robbing? Remember how the servant’s reaction to the situation not only robbed him of the praise he would have received from his master for using his talent. It also robbed him of a relationship with his master and the eternal life it would have yielded.

Call to Action

Our testimony and the spiritual gifts given to us by God only increase in value when they are shared with others. Therefore, our lives are greatly enhanced when we are willing to invest in others what God has invested in us. If we don’t know what our gifts are, it’s time to ask God to reveal them to us. If we know what they are and we are hoarding them, beloved it’s time to bring them into the light and invest them in the body of Christ. And finally, all of us are called by God to share the gift of salvation with a lost and dying world that desperately needs the hope we’ve received.

I pray we learn from the mistakes of the unfaithful servant. If we don’t it may cost us more than just our talent! “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.”Father, thank you for the gift of salvation and the spiritual gifts that come through the indwelling Holy Spirit. These gifts were not meant to be hoarded but to be shared. Remove the fear of rejection and the need for control that hold us back from freely sharing our talents, gifts, and the testimony of our salvation with those around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!