Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.’” (Luke 12:48).
I have three children and each one of them has very very different skills and abilities.
My eldest son is a very clever, mature and responsible young man. My second son is a little clown and would not recognise responsibility if it stood up and slapped him in the face. And my daughter is a sweet little social butterfly, who can start up a conversation with anyone.
Psychologists may suggest that this difference in the behaviour and personality of each of my children is a direct consequence of their position in our family, as eldest, “middle child” and youngest”. And, while it is quite possible that they could be correct, the fact remains that each of my children has a different approach to the world, and different talents to offer through their approach.
And in reflecting on this, I have been thinking about the words of Christ… “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘That servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.’” (Luke 12:39-48).asically, this was Christ – God the Son – telling me not to worry about anyone else, and that instead of judging others, I should be thinking only of myself. You see, God is the perfect judge. And perfect judgement is something very different from what I understand of judgement in the world. In my – albeit limited – experience of the application of the law, I have come to understand that our Australian law relies on precedent. That means that the judge in my case will consider what the judges in other cases did before he or she makes a decision about how to treat the matter that I am presenting to them for judgement. But God is not like that… When God judges me he does not look at what my neighbour is doing first. He does not consider how people have always judged things. He does not even question the majority and take a vote. No. When God judges me, He judges ME. Just ME. Right where I stand before His Holy Throne.
And what does that mean? Well, it means that I have only my own talents to show to Him when I stand before Him at the Final Day of Judgement… I have nothing else to offer.
And I have been thinking about that today, as I consider the various talents and personalities of my children. Because I have come to realise that this is not a competition and it is not a race. I am here on this Earth to be the person I was created to be. And if I had the Grace to do that, my God would be able to judge my talents, and perhaps, I would not need to hang my head in shame…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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