Faithfulness

FAITHFULNESS

Thursday, May 5, 2016
Megann Graf

This blog is not just for moms...keep reading!

  The fact is, that I feel like the word mother can be replaced by the word Christian, and this saying can still hold its weight.  We live in an interesting society now, where things are so hyped up and glorified, it can make the average Joe feel very overwhelmed.   And social media can help us portray whatever “perfection” we feel will give us the most likes or shares.  And sometimes, we look at people online, and think that they must have it all together.  Everything looks so perfect.

This past Sunday, Ben preached on faithfulness.  I love how he addressed this fact, and also challenged us in our “faithfulness.”  He challenged us not to think that faithful living has to look extraordinary, but in fact, that often, faithful living looks very, very ordinary. 

I’ll admit, when I read this phrase, “…but there’s a million ways to be a good one,” the word “good” didn’t seem good enough.  It seemed like it was still lacking something.  I don’t just want to be a good mom.  I want to be awesome.  Sometimes, I also want people to tell me I’m awesome.  (And sometimes they do…other times they tell me I’m the worst mom in the world, and they don’t even know how I got this job…true quote, from my kid!)

Then I thought of the parable that is taught in the book of Matthew.  It’s the one where the master gives out different quantities of gold to 3 men.  Two of the men use the money they were given, perhaps some risk was involved, but they end up doubling that money in the end.   In Matt. 25:21 and 23, the master says to them “Well done my good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your master.” 

But there was one man, who didn’t do anything with his money.  It wasn’t that he squandered it or spent it frivolously; he just didn’t do anything with the money.  In modern days, maybe he took a selfie with all his gold behind him and posted it.  It looked good.  But that is not what his master wanted him to do with that money.  He didn’t want him to sit around, afraid to fail, or too proud to go do something with it.  He wanted him to TRUST that what he was given was for a purpose.  He wanted him to be FAITHFUL with what he was entrusted with.  And, the master didn’t tell the others- Well done you great and perfect servant.  You rock!  What you did with that money was tremendous.  Nope, he just used two words to describe his servant- good and faithful.   Nothing extraordinary, nothing fantastic, just two simple words.  Followed by the mention, that those two words can allow us to enter into
His joy.

Whether you’re a mom or a CEO, a student or a scientist, a middle class worker or a millionaire, if you are faithful, you get the same two words.  They won’t build your ego, because what good would that do?  There is no way to be a perfect Christian.  But there are a million ways to be a good one.  There are a million things we can do to be faithful to the One who gave His life for us.  While most of us moms would want to hear our kids say we are awesome, I think we would likely admit, that if we just end this journey with a child looking at us, sincerely, and saying, “well done mom, you are a good one,” we would probably tear up and consider it the best compliment in the world.  We’re not in this life for our glory; we’re in it for His. 

To my fellow mamas- Happy Mother’s Day!  The day will likely not be perfect, but I hope it’s good.  Plain and simple!

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