The Parable Of The Talents

Sandra was on her way home from work that evening. She only had to walk a little further to get to the bus stop, where she would get her next ride. It was almost 6 o’clock, and she could not get it off her mind that the transport fare would have increased because people would generally overlook that they had to pay more money than usual to get to their destination after a long day of work. They just wanted to get home.

She toured the same road to work and back every day, but she had thought about taking another route to the bus stop that evening because of something, or someone, she had encountered that morning.

“What was the most annoying thing that happened to you this week?” her colleague and friend had asked her that morning.

“Huh...,” she said, half scoffing and half smiling.

“What is it?” her friend had asked.

“On my way to work this morning,” Sandra began, “I had just exited from a bus and had to walk a little to get the next bus that would bring me to work.”

“Okay…,” her friend said, paying rapt attention with both hands cupping her chin.

“It’s the same route I take every day, and even though I have always seen roadside beggars of different ages, I never expected what happened next.”

“What happened?”

“I’ve always ignored them, you know,” Sandra said. “I used to pity them so much as a child that sometimes, I asked my mum or dad to give them money.”

“What changed?” her friend asked.

“I grew up, and I learned,” Sandra said.

“What does that mean?” her friend asked

“One of the most interesting pronouncements that Jesus made was, ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.’”

“I’ve read the parable of the talents,” her friend said. “I also find it interesting.”

“So, you understand that no one can say they’re not without means to pick themselves up from the ground instead of trying to get people’s hard-earned money on the street.”

“I understand that you’re yet to get to your point,” her friend said, smiling.

“Anyway,” Sandra began, “one of them was on those things that look like a skateboard, and he jumped at my feet when he saw that I was going to ignore him.”

Her friend giggled.

“What did you do?”

“I kicked him away but can’t seem to get the event out of my head.”

Sandra thought about the other route she could have taken, but it was more protracted and more expensive, and she decided she would not change her routine because she got harassed by some beggar!

What are the chances he would still be there anyway, she thought.

She removed her phone from her handbag to look at the time. She had a watch on her left wrist, but it was useless since it stopped working a few weeks ago.

“Six-Eleven,” she grunted as she returned the phone to her bag. She was going to get home really late, and she thought to pick up the pace.

Almost instantly, she spotted something up ahead, causing her to nearly come to a sudden halt.

She decided to get down from the sidewalk onto the road, even though it wasn’t something she was fond of, but she was extra motivated this time.

She dropped her left leg first and immediately lost her balance. Even though she didn’t fall into the middle of the road, she was run over by a vehicle before anyone could do anything about it.

Not too far from where the accident happened, a lame beggar smiled.