Frittering

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48); "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).

We weren't born to fritter away these grand lives. One of the most beautiful narratives in the Bible is the poignant story of Mary and the alabaster box (John 12:3). Jesus gave Mary a new life; she was born again to The Way of love and sacrifice and devotion, and what better way to show it than by anointing her Savior. Jesus took a consumed life and conserved it. He charted a new reality for Mary, His reality wherein is Truth and Life. For this she anointed Him with gratitude and submission.

And shouldn't we all? Has He done any less for us? We have been given much, too, for He has charted our reality, as well. What He has given us in talents and possessions isn't important. What we do with what we have is the crucial test. God doesn't waste His irreplaceable time on worthless materials. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." (Jeremiah 1:5). Knowing this should encourage us to be humble and it should help motivate us to live worthier lives.

Contrary to common opinion, privilege doesn't have ranks, whether it is physical, mental, or spiritual privilege; rather, it has responsibilities. Above all, we are responsible for and to each other. "Our world at the present time is largely directed by criminally irresponsible adventurers and cynical and complacent men who have grown old in the ways of self interest. Unless their place is taken by men of understanding and humility, whose guiding principle is love, the world of man is doomed. The life of every human being is a part of our own, for we are involved in mankind. Each one of us is responsible for the other. It was Dostoyevsky who said, `Each of us is responsible for everything to everyone else.' That is what we now know. It is up to us to do something with that knowledge" (Ashley Montagu, On Being Human).