Read: Luke 16:1-10

Mina pouted as her older sister, Jackie, folded a pastel quilt and placed it on top of a large stack of quilts their mother had made.

“Ready to go?” Mom asked as she hurried into the living room. Kitty, Mina and Jackie’s toddler sister, giggled as she bounced on Mom’s hip.

“Ready!” Jackie replied, grinning.

“Why can’t I go to the craft fair too?” Mina whined.

“Dad will take you and Kitty this afternoon,” Mom said.

“But babysitting Kitty is boring,” Mina said. “I want to help at the fair!”

“Shh, don’t listen to her,” Jackie said teasingly, cupping her hands over Kitty’s ears.

Mom passed Kitty to Jackie and led Mina to the couch. “Mina, we’ve talked about this. You are helping me by babysitting.”

“But why does Jackie get to work at the booth and I don’t? Do you love Jackie more than me?” Mina wailed.

Jackie groaned. “Mina, please. You don’t really believe that. If it means that much to you, I can watch Kitty and you can go with Mom.”

“Really?” Mina asked, hopping to her feet. “Yay!”

“Hold on,” Mom said. “I appreciate your willingness, Jackie, but I will make the final call. Mina, there’s a reason why I chose Jackie, even though I love all three of you equally.”

“Why?” Mina asked, slumping back down.

“Jackie already spent years babysitting both you and Kitty. Because I can trust her with smaller responsibilities, I can give her bigger responsibilities. Even now, she put your interests before her own.”

“Oh,” Mina whispered.

“Believe it or not, I’m doing this out of my love for you, based on Jesus’s example,” Mom said. “Jesus loves us and is shaping us to be more like Him, and He offers us opportunities to be faithful and show His love to others. But because He knows us so well, He only gives us challenges we can handle. I want to give you a task you can succeed in to encourage and prepare you for bigger challenges to come.”

Mina nodded. “I guess you’re right. I’ll be faithful by taking care of Kitty today.”

Mom hugged Mina. “Thank you.”

–Hannah Chung

How about you? Have you ever been given a task that felt too simple? Maybe you’ve compared yourself to older siblings or friends who were given tasks you wanted instead. Jesus was always willing to do anything God asked of Him, from washing dirty feet to dying on the cross for us. As you experience Jesus’s love, you will realize any task is important when it shows others His love and faithfulness.

Today's Key Verse: Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. Luke 16:10 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Even small tasks help us grow