Use Your Talent Or You Will Lose It

I worked as stenographer-typist in the law office of Atty. Leopoldo M. Abellera, then one of the acknowledged brilliant and successful practitioner of law in Davao City, Philippines. Before the integration of all bar associations in the Philippines, he was awarded the accolade “Lawyer of the Year.” Being the classmate of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the University of the Philippines, he was handpicked first as Government Corporate Counsel (GOCC). Thereafter, he was appointed Court of Appeals Justice and concurrently Board of Transportation Chairman (BOT), an office which regulates all the land, sea and air transport business in the Philippines. He carries the distinction of a justice who never rendered a decision because he spent most of his time at the BOT. The Word of God says, “where your treasure is, your heart will be” (Matt. 6:21). If we want to find someone, determine where his treasure is, there you will find that someone.

As my boss joined the government, I was taken in as stenographer-typist in the Credit and Collection Department of an American Corporation, the Koppel (Philippines), Inc., later re-named upon expiration of the parity rights of the U.S. government in 1974, as U.S. Industries Philippines, Inc. It dealt in the same line of business as its predecessor corporation, that of selling bulldozers, tractors, Skagits, Generating Electric sets, and all machineries and implements used in the logging industry. The main industry of Mindanao then was logging. The richest businessmen then were those engaged in logging.

I obtained my college degree in law by working in this company and as a part time College Instructor in Stenography in the Rizal Memorial College of Davao City. I had so much money then that I supported the education of my seven younger brothers and only sister until all of them graduated in college.

Despite my hectic work schedule, by the grace of God, I graduated Valedictorian in my law degree. When I took the Bar exam in 1962, only nineteen per cent passed out of more than three thousand six hundred examinees. In our school, out of 17 candidates (including four repeaters) merely by the grace of God, only myself passed. That was the toughest bar exam then ever since – only 641 candidates passed or only 19%. The examinees after the exam in International Law, to dramatize their protest, burned their books and notes. The examiner in that subject was then the newly retired Dean of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines, Vicente Sinco, the author of a text book in International Law prescribed for all Law Schools in the Philippines. The protesters, (excluding myself) badmouthed him as the examiner who wanted only five per cent (or cinco) to pass the bar exam.

When I was already a lawyer, my professor Atty. Jose R. Ebro, Jr., who graduated from Ateneo de Manila and who owned the Tagum Electric Company; the Rural Bank of Tagum and the Tagum Ice Plant, saw me at Koppel (Philippines) when he bought a Generating Electric Set. He invited me to join his law office because he was busy in his businesses. The allowance and perks were so attractive, so I joined him. Being very much satisfied with my income and privileges, I worked with him for twenty-five long years. But due to the demise of my boss’ in-laws, he sold all his businesses in Davao and left Davao City to manage the businesses of his in-laws in Manila, Pampanga Province in Luzon, and Iloilo in the Visayas. His in-laws, had a 13 storey building along Roxas Blvd., Manila. It was a nice imposing and well built building with first class materials, so the 6^th to the 13^th Floor was rented by the U.S. Embassy, the lease rental being in U.S. dollars.

On the 26^th year of my law practice, I decided to establish my own law office. God, by his liberal and manifold blessing, allowed me to acquire a 649 sq. m. lot in the Center of Davao City, where I constructed a custom-made 2-storey fully concrete law office building with enough parking space for clients.

I have not been using or practicing my talent in stenography and typing, so I can no longer take down steno notes now. Because our office have Secretaries I have not been typing anymore. Indeed, the Word of God is true, that if we do not use our talent, we will lose it.

My very efficient and extremely bright personal Secretary Emelita “Eming” Gofredo-Babao had worked with me for the last twenty-two years, although she passed the Civil Service Exam which can easily land her a good job in the government.

In my younger years, I used to be assigned as preacher and teacher of the Word of God in our church. But, sometime in the year 2003, for health reasons, I suddenly stopped. Now, and I have not tried again, I think I can no longer preach and teach because I have not used my gift or talent in preaching and teaching.

I recall that having been awarded the accolade “Best Teacher of the Year” for six successive years in our church, my prize was a sponsored trip to the U.S.A. to attend an International Convention of our denomination. At the same time, I was the guest speaker in a certain U.S.-Filipino Camp in Sonora, California, U.S.A. Thereafter, I was itenerized to various churches of our denomination, so the church authorities said, my expenses will be refunded. That gave me a break in my ministry. Upon my voluntarily retirement as Sunday School Teacher, I decided to be active in my ministry in FGBMFI, Davao City Chapter, which is now my full-time ministry in the kingdom of God.

Lately, being then the President of FGBMFI, Davao City Chapter, due to the gracious sponsorship of the late Rev. Shiloh R. Haigh (an Australian Minister who chose to serve in the Philippines and in addition later in Taiwan), one of the Spiritual Advisers of FGBMFI, Davao City Chapter of the Saturday Bulletin of Davao City Chapter, and by the latter’s prodding that I should be a writer-contributor to our Saturday Bulletin, and endorsed by our perennial and very able Chapter Secretary, Ben Aquino, who himself is a prolific writer, I tried my writing talent on spiritual matters. After all, I recall some Judges, one of whom had become a Supreme Court Justice of the Philippines had personally acknowledged my talent in writing pleadings filed in court so, I tried to write for the Saturday Bulletin of FGBMFI. To demonstrate the sincerity of this Justice in complimenting me, in a case where my lawyer-opponent tried to question the award of my attorney’s fee, in denying the motion he said, “Atty. Bienvenido D. Cariaga, a young and diligent lawyer, deserves the amount of attorney’s fee awarded to him”. On appeal up to the Supreme Court, the decision was not reversed or modified including the award of attorney’s fee.

Fortunately, some of my friends in the fellowship appreciated my writings which inspired me to continue writing from Saturday to Saturday, despite my hectic schedule in my law practice. I appreciate very much and am encouraged by remarks of some of our fellowship members, like Engr. Roger Ragasajo, Engr. Eder M. Bacus, and others, when they tell me with a winsome smile, “I have read your article”.

I trust to God that He will allow me to use my talent in writing for the glory of God, as long as I live so I will not lose it.

The parable of the talent related in Matt. 25:14-30 is a good example to demonstrate this point of using our talent. In summary, for lack of space, in short, this parable is telling us:

The master in the parable divided the money among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less that he could handle. Failure of his trust would indicate only laziness or hatred toward the master. The bags of gold represent any kind of resource we are given. God gives us time, spiritual gifts or talents, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until he returns. We are responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have but how well we use what we have.

Jesus is coming back – we know this is true. Does this mean we must quit our jobs in order to serve God? No, it means we are to use our time, talents, and treasures diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. For most of us, it means doing our daily work out of love for God.

The last man who received the bag of gold was thinking only of himself. He hoped to play it safe and protect himself from his hard master, but he was judged for his self-centeredness. We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren’t ours in the first place – we are caretakers, not owners. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.

This parable describes the consequences of two attitudes toward Christ’s return. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talents to serve God will be rewarded. The person who has no heart for the work of the Kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God’s Kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.

So my fellow FGBMFI members, ask yourself: What is the talent or spiritual gift given by God to me for the kingdom of God? Once you have found the answer, use that talent or spiritual gift for the glory of God so you will not lose it (2 John 8).