8/14/2011 - by Chuck Monan, Preaching Minister

Greg Goossen was considered enough of a potential baseball star that the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him to a six-figure bonus in 1964, a huge amount of money at the time.  To say that he never lived up to expectations is an understatement, as he played for 37 teams in the minor, Mexican and major leagues over eight years.  “Either everyone wanted me or everyone wanted to get rid of me,” said Goossen.

Goossen was immortalized as a trivial footnote by Casey Stengel during a stint with the New York Mets in 1966.  Stengel pointed at him in training camp and said, “Goossen is only 20, and in ten years, he has a chance to be 30.”

Ever feel like this might be a description of your life on some level or other?

Most of us start out with all kinds of hopes, dreams, plans and grandiose visions of a brilliant future.  We often settle for less than we had imagined.

There is no shame in failing to achieve fame and fortune, in not becoming the best.  The only shame is not giving our best effort.  Henry Van Dyke was on to something when he said, “Use what talent you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.”  Goossen played as well as he could, and there is no shame in that.  Not everyone can be Johnny Bench.  He just had to be Greg Goossen.   

Jesus teaches us this lesson in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30).  The boss gave one man five talents of money, another man two talents, and a third man received one talent.  When the time to report back came, the five talent man had gained five more.  The two talent man had gained two more.  But the one talent man was afraid and did nothing.

Guess who got yelled at?

The God who made us knows our abilities and limitations better than we do.  He is not unfair, arbitrary or capricious in his judgment.  He simply expects us to work hard, to try, to care ... and to do our best.  Everyone can do this, regardless of how many talents you have or don’t have.

Erma Bombeck writes, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and would say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”  The apostle Paul said as much at the end of his life:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day ... and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
~ 2 Tim. 4:6-8

May each of us live so that we will be able to say the same.