Earning Trust
FAITHFULNESS INVITES TRUST.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Nehemiah 13:11-14.
Verse of the Day: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2, NIV).
“Kendra,” Mom said, as she stumbled in the front door with her arms full of grocery bags, “what are you doing home? I thought you were supposed to baby-sit the Johnson kids this afternoon.”
Kendra’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened. She turned her head to glance at the clock on the wall. “I was!” she said. “But I got on the phone with Felicia, and I… I guess I kind of forgot.”
“Oh, Kendra!” Mom said, setting the bags down on the kitchen counter. “Mrs. Johnson’s probably wondering what happened to you. Hasn’t she called?”
Kendra smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been on the phone.”
“Well,” Mom said, sighing and glancing at the clock, “you’d better call her.”
Kendra picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Johnson’s number. Moments later she hung up and turned to her mom. “She said she already missed her doctor’s appointment, so she doesn’t need me anymore.”
Mom balanced a package of frozen vegetables in her hand. She sighed again. “Did you apologize?”
“Yeah,” Kendra said, nodding. “She said she forgives me. But I still feel terrible.”
Mom wrapped her arms around Kendra. “I know,” she said.
“Do you think Mrs. Johnson will call me the next time she needs a baby-sitter?” Kendra asked. She and Mom both wore worried expressions. Kendra recalled that her parents had only recently allowed her to baby-sit. The Johnson children were a perfect way to start because they were well behaved and lived only a few houses away.
“I don’t know,” Mom said honestly. “You may have to earn her trust again.”
“Maybe I should call her back,” Kendra said.
“What would you say?” Mom asked.
“I would … I would tell her I really, really want to earn her trust again, and if she’d give me another chance, I’d work really hard to be more, you know, faithful.”
“I think that’s a good idea, Kendra. Mrs. Johnson would probably appreciate that.”
“And maybe I should offer to baby-sit for free the next time,” Kendra added.
Mom smiled. “That’s an even better idea,” she said. “I’m sure Mrs. Johnson would appreciate that!”
TO DISCUSS: According to today’s Bible reading, why did Nehemiah choose Shele-miah, Zadok, Pedaiah, and Hanan to take charge of the temple storerooms? Why do you think people tend to trust people who have been faithful in the past? Have you earned the trust of others because of your faithfulness? Why or why not?
TO PRAY: “All of us want to be trusted, Lord. Please grant us the opportunities to prove our trustworthiness. If we fail at our responsibilities, give us the humility to earn back the trust that we lost.”