A Three-Way Win

A Three-Way Win

By Elisa Morgan

From time to time, my husband, Evan, has been asked what it’s like to be my husband. To be the one sitting in the pew while his wife preaches. To stand as “first man” while I led as president of an international nonprofit. To move to the side when someone wants to speak privately with me.

His response slays me. Every. Time.

Evan takes a breath, wisely pauses and responds, “When I stand before God, I imagine he will ask me what I’ve done with the talents he entrusted to me. But I also believe he will ask how I’ve supported the gifting of my wife and others in my life.”

Rather than bending to the temptation of competition with me or with others, Evan resists the whole idea of the zero-sum power game, where there is only one winner. He’s learned that the practice of lifting up the giftedness of others yields a three-way win: for us, for others and for God.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about a man leaving on a journey who entrusted various amounts of gold to individuals to invest in his absence. One man hid the gold, afraid of losing it. But two others doubled their investment (verses 20-23). Happy with their yield, the master, who represents our heavenly Father, increased both individuals’ influence by putting them in charge of even more (verse 23).

It can be paralyzing to imagine gaining a large return for God based only on our own limited giftedness. We may feel inadequate and be tempted to “bury” what God’s entrusted to us. What if we enlarge our view of our giftedness by including our influence in maximizing the gifting of others?

When we set our sights on a three-way win: for others, for ourselves and for the kingdom of God, we can experience the maximum benefit.   

And be slayed by God’s favor. Every. Time.

Elisa and Evan Morgan recently celebrated 46 years of marriage. 

Elisa Morgan's latest book is Fruitful Living. She is the cohost of the podcast, God Hears Her. She is also the cohost of Discover the Word and contributor to Our Daily Bread. Her other books include Christmas Changes Everything, You are Not Alone, When We Pray Like Jesus, Hello, Beauty Full, and The Beauty of Broken. Connect with Elisa @elisamorganauthor on Facebook and Instagram.