Faithful with Few

Faithful with Few

“Mom can I get a puppy? I promise I’ll take care of it!” It’s a classic story. A child says they want a puppy but their parents are skeptical that the child can handle the responsibility of a dog. So what do they do? They get the child a hamster instead and say, “Now, if you do a good job with the hamster, maybe the next step will be to get you a puppy.” The hamster is a test to see how invested the child is in the idea of a pet and to see how hard they are willing to work.

Jesus is using this same concept in his “Parable of the Bags of Gold.” He talks about a Master giving his servants each a certain amount of gold to take care of while he is away. When he returns he sees that some of the servants did wonderful things with their money, while one servant did not. God has given us each gifts and skills and has asked us to use them to our best ability for Him. Some people squander their gifts and use them for evil, while others use them to glorify God.

Sometimes I have thought to myself “Lord, please put me in a big school with wildly successful programs and top notch musicians.” This is actually a real life example because I was interviewed at a large school with 4-5 choirs and a successful music program in place. But God had other plans. He placed me in a much smaller school in a part time position. And it turned out to be the perfect place for me. God knew I was not ready to handle such a large task and so he asked me to be faithful in another one.

Look at what you have and the position you are currently in. Instead of wishing for more, be faithful with what you have. God can see infinitely more than we can and knows exactly what we need when we need it. The child who proves they can take care of a hamster will eventually get a dog. Be faithful with what you have, and God will give you more than you thought possible.

- Kendra Mikols