I don’t know about you, but I tend to be really hard on myself. If life isn’t going how I hoped, I’m quick to blame and beat myself up about it. “If only I had ___, this would be different…” The opposite is also true—if something goes great, I’m quick to walk with my head held high, proud of what I’ve accomplished.

Have you ever found yourself disappointed in a season of waiting? I know for me personally, there is nothing more frustrating than having to wait when my need feels urgent and immediate.

The Parable of the Talents has been one of my favorite parables for a long time. Jesus tells a story about a master who gives his servants a set amount of "talents," each talent being a very large sum of money. What’s interesting in this story is that Jesus clearly points out that the master distributes these talents according to each servant’s ability to manage them… and then he leaves. What we read and understand is that these servants are expected to multiply what has been given to them. The master doesn’t provide a detailed plan for how to do it, yet he trusts their capabilities because of his relationship with them. Again, he gives to them according to their ability.

“You need to DTR!” my close friend and pastor, Chris Huffman, would often say when talking about difficult conversations with friends, family, peers, or employers. If you don’t know, DTR stands for “Define The Relationship.” It’s the process of figuring out where you stand in any relationship—typically with people.

King David has been known for many things throughout history. He was a warrior anointed to be king, operating under a divine calling filled with passion and worship. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he experienced plenty of failures along the way. We have the unique perspective of seeing the fullness of his life, and among the greatest lessons he could teach us is simply this—perspective.