Rich Wilkerson Jr. tells a story in his message at VOUS Church about driving a rental car compared with borrowing a friend's car. In the rental, he's a lot less careful. In his friend's car, he's paying attention to everything, even using his turn signal in a parking lot.
It's funny, but the point is worth sitting with. Neither car belongs to him. The difference is that he knows the person who trusted him with one of them.
That got me thinking about how easily I call everything mine. My time. My gifts. My money. My plans. I can say I trust God and still act like He doesn't get much of a say in how I use what He's given me.
Rich teaches from Matthew 25:14–30, the parable where a master goes away and entrusts his property to three servants. One receives five talents, another two, and another one. In this story, a talent is a substantial amount of wealth, not a natural ability. They receive different amounts, but every one of them is trusted with something valuable.
Two servants put it to work. The third digs a hole and buries it.
That third servant is the one I keep thinking about. He doesn't spend it all. He doesn't lose it. He brings back exactly what he received. And if I'm honest, part of me wants to say, “Well, at least he kept it safe.”
But keeping it buried wasn't what the master asked him to do.
I think it's possible to do something similar with our lives. We have something we could use, someone we could encourage, or a step we could take, and we keep waiting. When I have more time. When I'm more confident. When I know it'll work out.
There are times when waiting is wise. I don't want to confuse rushing with obedience. But I also need to ask whether I'm being patient or just scared.
The servant says he was afraid. Rich connects that fear to the way the servant sees his master: harsh and difficult to please. That takes this beyond a conversation about being productive. What do I actually believe about God? Do I trust His goodness, or am I so afraid of getting something wrong that I won't take a faithful step?
I don't hear this as a call to run myself into the ground. Rest matters. Healthy limits matter. Taking care of the people closest to me matters. Being exhausted doesn't automatically mean I'm being faithful. The question is whether I'm responding to what God has actually entrusted to me.
Then there's the comparison piece. The servant with two talents could've spent all his time looking at the guy with five. It's pretty easy to imagine that conversation: why did he get more? What am I supposed to do with this?
But he uses what he has. And when the master returns, both faithful servants receive the same words of approval.
As a youth pastor, I need that reminder. It's easy to see somebody else's ministry, resources, or opportunities and start measuring mine against theirs. A few minutes of scrolling can have you second-guessing work you were grateful for before you opened your phone. Comparison can get loud.
But the people in front of me don't become less important because somebody else has a bigger room.
I get to serve students, families, and leaders at Open Door Church. That means real people deserve my attention. A thoughtful reply matters. Encouraging a leader matters. Making time for a conversation matters, even if there's nothing about it to post.
I want to approach The Student Archive that way too. An idea for a resource is a start. Then I need to do the work to make it clear and useful for the leader who will use it. I don't want to get so excited about the next thing that I stop taking care of the thing already in my hands.
Another challenge in Rich's message is what happens after we hear good teaching. We can agree with it, talk about how good it was, and go right back to doing the same thing. At some point, what we heard needs to affect a decision.
For me, that's a helpful place to start. What's one thing I can actually follow through on? A commitment I've made? Someone I need to encourage? An opportunity to serve? A choice to be generous?
And yes, generosity includes money. I don't want to talk about stewardship in a way that conveniently leaves finances out. What I spend, save, and give matters. But this isn't a promise that being faithful will make me wealthy, and struggling financially isn't proof that I've failed God. We don't give so God owes us something.
Jesus tells this parable in the context of His return. The master comes back, and the servants give an account. That gives weight to what we do now, even in the ordinary parts of life.
I want to help people Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference. This message brings that desire into focus for me. I can start with the people, opportunities, and responsibilities God has already given me.
I don't have to wait for a bigger platform to care well. I don't have to have somebody else's gifts to use mine.
So the question I'm taking from Rich's message is this: am I being faithful with what's in front of me?
Before I ask for the next opportunity, I want to pay attention to this one.
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