Most of us are familiar with Christ Jesus' parable of the talents. A man going on a journey to a far country entrusted his worldly goods to his servants. He gave five talents to one servant, two to another, and one to the last. After a long time he returned and found that the servant with five talents had gained five more. The servant with two talents had likewise doubled his holdings. But the servant with one talent still had only one. (See Matt. 25: 14-30.)
Today, as in the Master's time, we know that something besides talents (as the word was used then) or talent (as the word is used today) is required for success. Besides their talents, what did the two successful servants have that caused them to flourish? Wasn't it desire, initiative, motivation, qualities plainly lacking in the third servant?
"Christian Science reveals Truth and Love as the motive-powers of man," Science and Health, p. 490; states Mrs. Eddy. Spiritual desire and motivation must come from within, for it is the spirit of Christ within one's own consciousness that both inspires and motivates one. God is Life and Life must be ever active, ever animated, ever expressing itself in the real man, the man who is God's image. This man, the positive evidence that Life is, must be ever expressing the nature and animation of inexhaustible Life —ever motivated to action, ever creative, ever reaching out, ever communicating, ever new, ever dynamic.
