Published 11/13/19
By Greg Johnson
What If...
You’ve been getting a two-dollars-a-week allowance a couple of years now. All you have to do is keep your room clean, take out the garbage throughout the house the day before trash day, put the dishes away every other time and fold clothes when Mom asks. Now you are ready to move up.
“Dad, can I have a bigger allowance?” you ask one day out of the blue.
“Why?” Dad asks.
“Because I’m older now and I need more money.”
“That’s not a very good reason. But maybe we could think of a few more chores so I could pay you three dollars a week.”
“Like what?”
“Well, how about if you set and clear the table every night?”
“I could do that. It’s a deal!”
The first week of this new arrangement, you do fine. When Sunday comes, you collect your three dollars. The next week you start well, but by the end of it you only set and clear when you’re reminded a couple of times. Dad reluctantly gives you your allowance.
By the third week, you let Mom set the table a couple of times, and run from the table early a few more times to watch the TV. When it comes time to collect your allowance, Dad only gives you two dollars.
“What’s this?” you ask. “I thought we had a deal.”
“We did, and you broke it. I’m sorry.”
The following week you’re thinking about wanting to get an I-Pod, but you know that at two dollars a week, it’ll take a year to get it.
“Mom, Dad,” you say, “I’ve decided I’d like to get a paper route to help me make more money. Is that all right?”
Questions to Think On
• What do you think we would say?
• Have you proven you can be faithful and responsible in smaller things in order to handle something as big as a paper route?
• Do you understand why we say no to some bigger privileges if you haven’t done what you should with small responsibilities?
• Mom and Dad: Talk about the relationship between being faithful in small things in order to be trusted with larger privileges.
What Does God Have to Say?
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.”
His master replied, “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!”
(c)