Matthew 25:21 NIV - “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!’

Housesitting! Seemed easy enough. I’d just sit around, watch TV, eat snacks and make sure nothing gets broken. I assured my aunt and uncle that I’d take care of their home while they traveled for a few days. There was some kind of emergency and they had to leave as soon as possible. When I arrived with my small overnight bag, they barely had a chance to finish their dinner before rushing out the door. This was it, my chance to show how responsible I was.  

After getting over the jitters of being alone the first night, I started to settle right in. I lined up a collection of movies to watch and a smorgasbord of snacks. I tried not to touch anything and stayed cozied up on the couch for 3 days. I thought I did a great job and would prove just how I responsible I was. Imagine my surprise when they returned home. Although they were relieved nothing was broken and nothing went wrong, they were disappointed that everything was still exactly as they’d left it. The dishes were still in the sink. The beds were still not made. The trash hadn’t been taken out. I couldn’t understand why they were disappointed with me for not taking care of that stuff, when that’s the way THEY left it. I figured my job was to make sure nothing happened to the house while they were gone, not become their maid..

I shared my thoughts with my aunt. She was so kind and patient as she explained to me her reasoning for being disappointed. She told me that taking care of something for someone means taking over the responsibilities. For example, if I were babysitting, I wouldn’t just let the baby sit there until the parents returned. I’d feed the baby… change diapers… sing lullabies… all the things the parents would do. It wouldn’t matter that the baby wasn’t mine. She explained that had they been home, they would have washed the dishes, made the beds, and taken out the trash. So when I agreed to take on the responsibility of housesitting, certain responsibilities comes with that, like cleaning, although I didn’t make the mess.

It took me several years to understand why the servant who buried the one talent was so harshly excoriated. As I grow more in Christ, I better understand the responsibility of going about my Father’s business and what it means to represent Him. Staying quiet and out of the way is not being responsible and is not good stewardship in the eyes of God. Our lack of work can greatly impact those around us. As a body of Christ, we have to be ready to take on others’ mess, just as Christ took on our sin.

Heavenly Father, teach me to be a good steward of everything you have given me. Help me to be willing to take on the responsibilities of working for your Kingdom, just as a blameless Jesus took on my sin. In Jesus’ name. Amen

By: Min. April Carter