Today, I was reading Matthew 25. The first part of the chapter is the parable of the ten virgins. Basically, all ten go out to meet the bridegroom, five wise and five foolish. The wise went with oil flasks alongside their lamps while the foolish just went with their lamps. All slept off waiting for the delayed bridegroom. Upon his arrival, however, the foolish begged the wise for oil, and after being denied they had to go to the dealers to get some. The wise were ready. They came prepared. There may have been a delay and they may have slept just like the foolish, but when it was time for real action, they had what was necessary because of their prior and present faithfulness. They are the ones who went in to meet the bridegroom for the marriage feast. This is how the parable ended:

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The passage that follows that one is another parable: the parable of the talents, and like the prior one, this also illustrates what the kingdom of heaven is like. The concept being hammered home in both is faithfulness. 

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), you see the stark difference between faithfulness and unfaithfulness through the actions of the servants. The faithful with five talents is literally described as going “at once” to trade what he had been given (vs 16). The one with two talents did likewise. The one given two talents did not go about anxiously thinking: “hm, i must bring back five more, I gotta outdo this other servant given five talents to make up for the mere two talents I was given.”  No. He simply went and brought a faithful return based on the amount he was given. It even says it in the beginning of the parable that the master distributed these talents “to each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15). If the servant given one talent had brought back an extra talent based off what he had been given, he would have been praised by the master just as the others were praised. Did you notice that the response that was given by the master to the servant that brought back five talents and the one that brought back two talents is the same? He literally says to the one that brought back five more and the one that brought back two more: “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.” So you see that what the master required was faithfulness, simple and short. 

Jesus is showing us that what God our Master requires of us is faithfulness in this brief time of sowing and working and investing and toiling while we wait for our Master Jesus to return to earth or call us to Himself. 

I so want to be faithful but often when I think about that desire for faithfulness, I get overwhelmed because there are just so many areas to be faithful in; in fact we are called to be faithful with our whole lives! And we know for sure that God will call us to account for everthing: ALL OF IT. 

But I cannot–we cannot–allow analysis paralysis to keep us from even trying. For me, in terms of where the rubber meets the road, one of the areas where I know I have been given a trust is in the gift of writing. I am nowhere where I would like to be as a writer. I know I have been gifted in that area, but it needs much refining and cultivation. It would be sad for me to approach the throne shamefaced if I give my writing (and other life “talents”) to my master unimproved upon. My master is not a “hard man” like the wicked and slothful servant said (falsely) of his own (vs 24). I want to seek to improve on all He has entrusted to me with much faith and perseverance. But it takes plenty of practice, no matter how boring and unexceptional my writings may seem in the moment. This article itself is an act of faith to stir up my writing gift by writing and also to encourage everyone: start somewhere. Start small. One thing. As the saying goes, don’t try and “boil the ocean.” Start with one area of life, one gift you want to improve upon. Take it to the Lord. He has much grace for us all. His love is not conditioned on our successes or failures. His mercy and His love for us His children is so abundant and it is rock-solid steadfast. He will help us. He is with us. Let us ask Him to help us to be watchful and prepared and faithful and let us bring all the messiness of our lives: the wasted time, gifts, talents, victories, failures, sins and sufferings before Him. How can we be faithful in all these areas in our own strength? Who is sufficient for these things? Certainly not me! But the Lord gives us more grace.

One day at a time, fam. One day at a time. But let us actually do something each day in our pursuit of faithfulness with our lives. And by faith, we know and hope and trust that we too, on the great Day Of The Lord, will hear these beautiful words spoken to us: 

“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.”