It's Fair

Luke 12:48 reads as follows:

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

The context of this entire chapter is Jesus sharing with the crowd that had thronged him as well as with his disciples how to prioritize, be aware, watch and prepare.  But this particular verse seems a bit unfair at first blush.  When I read the verse I was reminded of my 6th grade teacher Stella Fiddemont.  As a matter of fact, earlier in the week, I shared with a friend about my fractions moment at the board in Ms. Fiddemont's class.  We were studying fractions and we all had a turn at the board to solve problems that she had given us.  It was my turn along with several other students and I was struggling.  It was adding fractions with differing denominators, you know, where you have to figure out the least common denominator before you can add?  Anyway, the students next to me were struggling too.  But I watched Ms. Fiddemont help each of them.  I raised my hand for help too and she said, "No.  You can do this on your own."  I had a whole gamut of emotions.  I couldn't believe that she would help the students next to me and not me!  And what did she mean I could do it?  If I could then why couldn't the kid next to me do it without help or intervention?  I only recently understood and it's because of the context of this chapter.

One might ask themselves if the servant didn't know what was going on, why would he be beaten with few stripes?  I get it.  It's the same reason that Stella Fiddemont didn't help me that day.  God deals with each of us differently.  We each need a different level of motivation which is connected to our personality, our learning style, or ability to hear, listen and comprehend, our maturity and our gifting from God.  When God gives you  a gift, He requires productivity from you based upon the gift.  When He leaves something in your hands He expects for you to do something great with it.

When I was standing at the board frowning because my teacher wouldn't help me, I didn't realize that she didn't help me because she saw in me the ability to solve it myself.  She saw me in a place and a space where I didn't see myself.  I saw myself in a weaker place; in an ignorant place, but she knew that I had the knowledge and the skill.  Now, nearly 30 years later I see that and I see what God was building in me.  When I experience something with God it is like a journey of "self discovery" to use a phrase from my sister, Minister Sheila Walls.  When I go through it, then I have more compassion for others.  I see what God wants others to experience in Him and its beautiful.  I can see that He wants people to know that He loves them so.  I can see that He wants to reconcile them through the blood of His son.  When I experience a feeling of helplessness like I felt at the board, I know how other people feel when they reach that same place and it is the drive of that burden that makes me love people.  It is what makes me the Elder that Bishop and Pastor Woods appointed me to be.  When I walk a path, I immediately search for others who are also experiencing the same hardships and I give them the Word that was given to me.  That's how God deals with me and why He has to take me on my self discovery journey the way that He does.  I will no longer see the stripes that I have to bear as part of this process as a negative thing or as me missing out or not getting the help that I need.  Instead I will see it as me taking my few stripes because God has given me much and is holding me responsible for producing based upon the gifts that He has provided.

Think about your gifts today.  What has God given you?  Are you a giver?  Are you an encourager?  Do you teach, preach, pray for others?  Do you play an instrument?  Can you sing?  Are you good ad administration, evangelism or helping?  Whatever God has given you and in whatever way He has provided it to you figure out how make productive use of it.  God is waiting on you to become what He has always seen you as being.