365 Devotionals: Paid Forward

“It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”
-Matthew 25:14-15

Parenthood is the task of caring for someone else’s property. I take no ownership over my children. They are children of God.

I am not their servant, but God’s servant. The heavy responsibility of watching over them is temporary, yet the rewards are great. It is the first place I minister. It is the first place I practice caring for others.

I am fortunate to have felt the rewards accruing from the first moment I became a father. I was paid forward by a deep well of love for these tiny humans.

Similarly, when God chose to double my responsibilities by calling their mother home to Heaven, He sent forth riches of love. When the burden feels too weighty, I call on that reserve to carry forward with my load.

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