No tags yet.
I have one daughter who is very organized. Actually, it is amazing how organized she is. When I put her clothes away in her dresser drawer for her, she will say, “Thanks Mommy, but I think I’m going to re-do this”. Obviously, even my Mommy organizing skills are no match for her. It is quite a talent. My older daughter, however, is not so skilled at this. I had her put her brother’s clothes away in his dresser drawer about a month ago, and the drawer has yet to recover from the ensued chaos. Organization is definitely not her gift.
Matthew 25
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant!'
I think our tendency as parents is to see a strength that one of our children has and think we can create that in another child. We may see one child excelling in one area and wish our other child would step up their game in that area, too. The scary thing is that because of this we can start comparing our children to one another. We can say, “Why can’t you be more interested in reading like your sister?” Or, “You see how your brother swings the bat? You need to get it like him.”
The master in the parable represents God. We see that when the servant with five talents produced 5 more talents, the master told him good job. We also see that when the servant with 2 talents produced two more talents, the master told him good job. Why didn’t the master scold the servant with 2 talents for not producing 5 like his friend? Because the master very well understood what each servant was capable of and praised them each for working hard according to their personal level of ability in that area.
Now, the master does not show us that we just flippantly let those we’ve been put in charge of do as they please and praise them for any and everything. We have expectations of them, just not unrealistic ones. We also expect them to not directly disobey us or just act lazy because they don’t want to put forth effort. The last servant didn’t do anything the master expected of him and was downright being lazy. The master let him know that this was not okay, and that servant faced severe consequences.
Through this parable, I see that God is not going to compare me to you or you to me. He is going to expect us to produce good fruit as we walk in the strengths each of us personally has. I don’t want to make my child feel like they are less of a person in an area that a sibling is strong in. I can of course challenge them to get out of their box and try new things. I can encourage them to work hard in subjects or areas they are not strong in. But I cannot belittle them for not having a natural strength in an area like somebody else.
Father God, thank You so much for not comparing me to other people! I know You want me to produce much fruit in the areas You have given me strength and passion in. Please help me resist comparing my children to one another. I don’t want to make them resent each other or feel like something’s wrong with them. Please help me use my words to praise my children for their strengths and encourage them to do their best in their weaknesses.