Being good stewards of what we have been given is always pleasing to the Giver.
My family just purchased a new car. Well, it’s used, but it’s new to us. Our 2001 minivan just died, so it doesn’t take much for us to be oooohing and ahhhing over “new” technology. It’s nothing fancy, but we all love it. It’s been less than a week and my fifteen-year-old has began requesting to drive it.
Now, we got her, her own little, easy to control, easy to stop car, last summer and she’s coming along well with it. By, her birthday, I’m sure she will be ready to take the keys and go. But, right now, I’m not so sure I want to hand her the key to our newest vehicle. I wonder why she never asked to drive the minivan.
She is not alone in her quest for more and better. It seems we would all like a little bit more, a little bit newer, a little bit shinier, than what we have. I have definitely at times found myself praying for more, when I wasn’t necessarily making the best use of what I had.
I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew, Chapter 26. A wealthy man who was going on a journey, gave three of his servants different amounts of money to keep for him. Two of them used what they had to make more money for their master. One just buried what he had been given. When the master returned, he was pleased with the first two. He said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” Matthew 24:21
The third guy didn’t do so well. The master was very angry with him and threw him out into the darkness.
I’ve heard this parable explained in many different ways and as most of Jesus’ parables, I think it likely has several layers and meanings. One of them may be that we shouldn’t ask for more, if we don’t look after and do our best with what we have.
Would you buy your kid a new bike if he always left his old one in the rain? If he didn’t take care of what you had given him, why would you spend money on more? If you were late to work every day or spent most of your day at work, playing on the internet, would you expect a promotion? If you were the boss, would you give yourself a promotion?
Perhaps if we want more of anything, we need to take care of what we already have. Are we faithful stewards of what we have been given? Are we thankful for what we have been given? More of anything could include material things; but it could also be our gifts and talents.
Maybe if we find ourselves desperately wanting more, we should take stock of what we already have and truthfully ask ourselves how we are doing with that. What do you think?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂