Give a Little, Get a Little…Give a Lot, Get a Lot

by Darla Noble

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Matthew 25:21

“Not fair! Not fair! Not fair!” eight year-old Crystal cried when her mom told her she couldn’t go to her friend’s house to play.

“I told you that you had to clean your room first,” Crystal’s mom explained. “But you didn’t, so I cannot let you go. If I cannot trust you to obey me at home, I cannot trust you to obey someone else or to follow our rules for how you are to behave.”

Fast-forward eight years. Crystal was sixteen and leaving on a mission trip. As her mom hugged her goodbye, she said, “I’m so proud of you for going and I know I can trust you completely to be safe, to be kind, and to be a light for Jesus to the children you are going to minister to.”

“You’re only saying that because I cleaned my room before I left,” Crystal laughed. But she knew her mom was right. She had grown. She had grown to understand that it is only when we are obedient to our parents and to God in the little things that God (and our parents) will feel confident in trusting us with more.

Pray: God, I want to be Your trustworthy child. I want You to give me opportunities to share my faith, my abilities, and my love for You with others. I promise You, God, I will be faithful and use them to the best of my ability because of You working through me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.