Can God Trust Us with The Trivial Things?

I doubt that any of us would want our children to look up to the shrewd but dishonest manager. However, the parable does show us how significant even seemingly trivial things can be in our lives. Small choices can have a big effect.

Doing someone a favor can pay off big eventually. We could lose our job for a few indiscretions. All of it seems to point to this, and Jesus is able to bring all of these “trivial” revelations together to provide us with the greater revelation.

With these few verses, Jesus brings it all together and gives us a fundamental life principle that we have probably all experienced at some point. We will not be trusted with a lot if we cannot handle a little.

The trivial things matter. Little choices add up. This is such an essential concept to acquire early on, and it applies not only to your faith life but to life in general.

Our relationships, occupation, way of thinking, monetary management, aspirations, and so forth, etc. This list could go on forever.

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32).

Like a tiny seed, trust starts small. Additionally, like a mustard seed, we can expand its scope as it develops. As we take on more responsibility, others come to trust us.

All of this brings us back to the awkward inquiry at the outset, Can God trust us with the trivial things? Are we faithful even in the smallest aspects of life? Or are we complicit in sin? Are there things we are holding onto that we do not want to give to Jesus?

I think we can all admit that we still need to give God control of some aspects of our lives. We have been holding onto them, trying to control them, and hoping that they will “work themselves out.” However, as Jesus so eloquently states at the end of our passage, “You cannot serve both God and money” (v. 13).

To put it another way, we need to be ready to “go all-in” for Jesus in our lives. We need to be firm about removing sin from our lives, and we need to stop giving in to the small flaws in our character.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom (Song of Solomon 2:15).

Once again, the trivial things matter. Tiny foxes destroy the vineyard. We cannot serve God and ourselves. We cannot serve God and money. Nor can we serve God and our careers with the same devotion.

He is urging us to live devoted, righteous, and faithful lives in everything from trivial things to the important things.

Therefore, if this seems to be what anyone is dealing with today, I would like to extend an invitation to dedicate ourselves to the trivial things this coming week. Get rid of those tiny foxes from our homes. Be deliberate when making decisions.

Additionally, if we must make amends somewhere, do so. When necessary, ask for forgiveness and offer it in turn. We are all familiar with the value of trust, and God expects us to be trustworthy as we obey and submit to Him.

For further reading:

What Is the Parable of the Talents?

Is the Kingdom of God Really in Us?

How Is Representing Christ a Great Responsibility?

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Chris Swanson answered the call into the ministry over 20 years ago. He has served as a Sunday School teacher, a youth director along with his wife, a music director, an associate pastor, and an interim pastor. He is a retired Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman with over 30 years of combined active and reserve service. You can check out his work here.