There is a popular picture out there of an old sailing ship with the saying underneath, “A ship in the harbor is safe—but that is not what ships are built for.” A boat’s true calling is not a passive one! Of course, there are risks; but most sailors take the risks because the pay-off of making the effort is huge: to feel fully alive!
Today’s gospel of the lazy servant who didn’t invest the Master’s money makes people squirm. Here I’m doing my best to keep what’s been given to me safe and sound, and the angry Master says, “Why didn’t you invest it?” Wow—can’t I please anybody?
The Master is really attacking the common trap of fearing to risk. God gives us gifts, but we call them “ours”—and we start protecting “our” things, from “our” toys, to “our” house, to “our” kids. We build a life and get settled, and we soon quit taking our ship out of safe harbor. But—and this is a hard saying these days—the gifts God has given us belong to the world.
One family of 10 ran a small store. But they were never so focused on their own family that they didn’t notice and help other poor families with free food or extended credit when needed. Another family limited sports so they could work at the homeless shelter one night a week. The daughter helped cook, the son sat and talked to the homeless men. These families remained conscious and alert to the state of the world around them—they took their ships out of harbor to help strangers. What a life lesson!
From 9 to 90, we have to ask the hard question, “Am I in a comfortable rut?” Look around to see if the grieving, the poor, the lonely or homeless need us—because we need them to help us go beyond security, into the open seas of love.