CAN YOU BE TRUSTED WITH MORE?
This concept is not new to me, but it keeps coming up lately. Can I be trusted with more?
Have you ever thought about this? A parent gives their child more freedom & responsibility when they can be trusted with the small stuff. We see their character, their discipline, their habits and their ability to uphold the tasks and stay within the boundaries. We can then respond by giving them more freedom and independance.
I’m pretty familiar with this….
As a young teenager, my parents told me repeatedy that I could have a later curfew if only I could show them that I was able to keep my curfew. Since I continued to come home after 9:00pm, out of rebellion, my curfew remained 9:00pm for a very long time. I’m pretty sure it stayed there until I got married.
Or, for example, a boss will likely see your potential if you’re a hard worker, take initiative, uphold the culture of the company and demonstrate a passion for your work. Those employees who can be trusted with the work they are given will be the ones who are given more.
What about with the every day life stuff?
Let’s talk about financial health. Most people don’t share this stuff. But, chances are, someone you know is drowning in debt, living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to get ahead. Typically, what happens, is an individual starts out making poor money choices and they shouldn’t be trusted with more. When given more, they grow up and find better employment and increased income, the problems continue. If you’re bad with money with a small income, typically you’re bad with money with a large income. In the Bible there’s a story about a man who takes his master’s money and invests it wisely. He’s praised for his efforts and it says “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things”. When you look at your own personal finances, do you feel that you can be trusted with more? How do you manage what you already have? Sometimes we think more money will fix our problems. But, it does the opposite. It magnifies them. Bigger debts. Bigger issues.
What does it look like to be faithful with your money, anyways? It means saving money. It means covering all your bills on time. It means learning how to get really familiar with comes in and what goes out - down to every single dollar. It means donating money and giving to others. It means taking control of your money and not letting it control you. How do I know this? Because I know first hand what it’s like to be really terrible at this. For me, someone who hates being told what to do, I never enjoyed my budget dictating how I lived my life. I would feel the thrill of power when I told my budget to screw off and made whatever purchase I wanted. But the thrill is temporary and the guilt that follows is way worse. I realized, I had to get things under control. I needed a plan. I needed more self control in the present to find more freedom in the future. I believe, that we are given more when we can be faithful with what we have.
“Given more” doesn’t always mean money, either. Maybe, for you, it means more people to serve. More opportunities to practice your strengths & gifts. More contentment & fulfillment. More joy or peace. More self worth. More simplicity in your life More clarity of purpose. More of who you were created to be.
