Lenten Gestures - Profiting • Dea Studios

Matthew 25:20

"Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’"

Investment, trust, responsibility, and risk are all intertwined in relationship. Some of us may think we are far from business savvy, yet from childhood we have become masters of calculating risk and negotiating the maximum profit-margins. What will happen if I choose not to do what mom says? If I eat those vegetables you repeatedly asked me to eat, can I have ice cream… and watch a movie … and go to bed late? We’ve even factored in the ever-increasing level of frustration in the prolonged procrastination of eating our vegetables to know how many things we can add to our profit list during negotiations.

The relationship between parent and child is a good example of multiplied investment. Yes, children test their parents, but likewise parents test their children. As children grow in independence, parents begin to delegate more responsibilities to them, ability is measured and trust is gained and lost accordingly. Generally, the more trust is gained, the greater responsibility and independence. Parents invest in their children, knowing both the frustrations of disobedience and the joys of obedience.

I’ve heard parents say, “I want my ceiling to be your floor.” It is a parent’s delight to know that cultivating what has been entrusted to them is now more profitable than they could have imagined. Likewise, it can also be a source of sorrow and disappointment for some parents. What have you been given? What has been cultivated and nurtured inside of you? Are you maximizing your profit margins? What impact, for better or worse, have you imprinted on the world with what has been entrusted to you?

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