Several weeks ago, Theresa showed me an impressive video of a young person who constructed a massive domino project. In the video she uses bins of dominoes and carefully lays down individual pieces following a very careful design. She even themed the project after the Mario Bros., complete with a princess castle and full cast of characters. The entire project took her 24 days where she laid down 18,000 individual dominoes. Of course, the topple was perfect (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsR8WNx6qbc if you’re curious).
Matthew 25:14-30 tells the parable of a man who was leaving on a trip and left three of his servants with five, two, and one valuable coin each. The servants in charge of the five and two coins were able to double them, while the last servant with one coin buried it in the ground. When the master comes to collect the coins, he praises the first two servants who cared for his coins carefully, and chastises the last servant who simply buried the one coin out of fear. To the first two servants, he says to each, “Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me” (verse 23).
While there are many good lessons in this parable, one lesson that has been standing out to me is drawn from verse 23. In particular, it’s the part where the master praises the two faithful servants because they have been faithful over a little. Because they were faithful with a little, the master gives them more to be in charge of. In verse 21 and 23 the master praises each of the two servants who did well. Notice that he says pretty much the same thing to both servants who multiplied his money. It didn’t matter that one doubled five coins and the other doubled only two, what was most important was that they were faithful with little.
Our journey with God can sometimes be like a domino project. In a domino project, it may seem insignificant and meaningless to lay down one domino brick. One brick is so insignificant and small. However, the real power is when we lay one brick after another, with intention and consistency. After we’ve laid down 100 bricks, or 1000 bricks, or 18,000 as the person in the video did, then we see something significant emerge. But just like the person in the video showed, the project is built from the ground up, one little brick at a time.
What is the “little” that God has asked you to be faithful with? Perhaps you’re in school. In that case, your “little” might be the task of doing daily practice questions or reading. Perhaps you’ve been asked to help with something at church. Maybe you’ve been entrusted to be on a team and your role is to serve. In that case, your “little” may be to show up on time and prepared. Maybe you’re a parent, and what God has entrusted you with is literally a “little” person, to care for them and train them up in Godly values. Sometimes the “little” is as simple as making good on your commitment to read your Bible every day, or to join in fasting next time the opportunity arises.
It is in being faithful with the “little” that we learn some of the most valuable lessons about faith, life, work, parenting, and beyond. Whatever your “little” may be, know that it is only through faithfulness with little that we will be entrusted with more.