As Good as Gold

I promised Big D I'd blog about gold, so here goes...

In the parable of the talents, Jesus tells the story of a master who goes away and entrusts his wealth to three servants. To the first, he gives 5 talents, to the second he gives 2 talents, and to the third he gives 1 talent. The first two "invest" the talents and are able to give back to the master double what they were entrusted with. The third servant digs a hole and burries the talent so nothing will happen to it and he'll at least have the master's talent to give him on his return. Well, you know what happens. The master is pleased with the first two and not the third. The point of the parable is that everything we have is not our own. We bring nothing into this world. It is all God's. He is the giver of every good gift (James 1:17). The story reveals the importance of stewardship, or management. This does apply to our pocketbooks, but it's so much more than that.

I recently read Family Reformation by Scott T. Brown. In it he chronicles how Calvin and the Reformers understood the importance of passing down their faith to the next generation so that, "when we are dead, a holy course of living may survive and remain." In other words, they had a multi-generational perspective on the family. If you're a Christian and want to know what the future church in America looks like take a good look at our youth. Do you like what you see? Children are a heritage from the Lord (Ps 127:3) and are to be enjoyed. But, they aren't really ours. They belong to God and He has entrusted us with them. What are we doing with them? Will they reap a spiritual return for God's glory? Will our Master be pleased with us when He returns?

Current estimates are that a child can cost upwards of $300,000 to raise. Children are expensive, but that's nothing compared to the sacrifice that is parenthood. The real expense is our time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears. Yes, children are costly, but they're an investment in the future. In other words, they're as good as gold.