Friend to Friend

I was reading stories about several women making a difference in the world. One was raising funds to dig wells in villages desperate for clean water. Another started a compassionate work program for women rescued from the slave trade. Yet another launched a nonprofit to come alongside refugees to help them get established in their new communities.

I loved these stories. They were inspiring! Yet even as I privately cheered them on, it caused me to look at my own life. 

God, is there something BIG that I’m supposed to be doing?

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of a master who gave his servants differing amounts of money and asked them to invest it while he was gone. One servant multiplied it by a large number and another by less, and one servant simply buried the bag of coins. When the master returned, he applauded the two who had multiplied the silver entrusted to them. 

The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21 NLT)

But he was grieved at the one who had buried the bag he had been given. 

The servants in this story weren’t financial bankers or property managers. They were humble servants and yet the master trusted them. This is the heart of this story. Jesus was reminding His followers that He was trusting them with what they had been given. Some were big tasks. Some smaller. Some in-between. 

Yet when it was all added together, there was an increase. Not in terms of money but with what mattered to Jesus – people.  

If I look back at the assignments I’ve been given over the years, one was to love a handful of women who met around my kitchen table for a Bible study for a season. At other times it was to rock a child while a young mom napped. Another that continues today is to speak and write about the Gospel. According to the parable Jesus taught, none of these are seen as big or small or in-between, but simply as assignments placed in my care in the Father’s absence. 

 What has God placed in your care? 

That might be serving behind the scenes or standing on a stage. That might be coming alongside a friend in a crisis or delivering food to a family struggling to make ends meet. It could be holding a small child in your arms, or that elderly parent moving from independence who now needs a little help. 

Don’t bury that assignment out of comparison. Don’t, even for a hot moment, let your attention shift to the “bigness” of someone else’s assignment and keep you from settling into the beauty of your own. 

You and I have been trusted with those assignments and it all matters. 

Together, we make a difference in His name. 

 

Let’s Pray

Jesus, I take my eyes off anyone else’s assignment, and I thank You for the beauty of mine. If I’m burying that assignment because of uncertainty or comparison, I release that to You. Thank You for showing me what to do and multiplying it for Your sake.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Now It’s Your Turn

When you wake up in the morning, ask the Lord, “What is my assignment today?”  

You might be surprised where that question leads. The other morning I asked that question and sensed God asking me to text encouragement to a friend. She responded back quickly. 

“Suz, your timing is impeccable.” 

Well, actually mine wasn’t but God’s was. He knew what she was going through, and my assignment was to simply partner with Him. 

As you ask God for your assignment and you sense Him leading you, don’t bury it. Don’t compare that assignment with others. Just say yes. 

 

More from the Girlfriends

One “joy stealer” takes place when we list all the reasons we aren’t qualified, even as Jesus invites us to join Him in changing the world. In Suzanne’s book, JoyKeeper: 6 Truths That Change Everything You Thought You Knew About Joy, she shares how to confront joy stealers to live day-to-day as a JoyKeeper.  As we confront joy stealers with truth, we step out of comparison or fear and step into the joy Jesus promised.

(As an Amazon Associate, Girlfriends in God earns A SMALL COMMISSION from qualifying purchases using this paid link.)

 

 

 

© 2023 by Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.