I Got All S's

T

he first nine-weeks of school flew by.  I couldn’t believe it was time for me to bring home my first report card but before I knew it Mrs. Avery, my first-grade teacher, was handing them out.  Everyone received one and her instructions were clear, “Take them home, show them to your parents, and bring them back signed.”

Now, I didn’t fully understand the concept of the report card.  I knew that it was meant to update my parents on my progress to that point and to show them areas where I needed improvement.  As soon as Mrs. Avery gave me my report card, I opened it to see what all the hype was about.  The report card was pink and, thanks to Mrs. Avery’s hard work, I could read my name which she had meticulously written at the top of the card.

As I looked down the long list of things she had graded, I noticed a peculiar pattern. She had entered the same letter for all the areas we had covered that quarter.  There were no absences and no marks, at least as far as I could tell, for inappropriate behavior.

The bell rang and, like racehorses out of the starting gate, we all darted from the room and exited East Elementary School.  I ran to my mom and dad’s place of business, threw open the door, ran into her office, gave her the report card, and announced in a loud and proud voice, “I got all S’s!”

My mom looked just a little befuddled.  I learned later that grades were usually listed as A, B, C, D, or F, but not S’s. But once she opened the report card and noticed that S meant satisfactory, she smiled and gave me a big hug!  She showed my dad and he was equally happy with the results.  I determined right there and then that making all S’s was a good thing and that I would do my best to keep that streak going.    

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus, himself, spoke about the importance of getting all S’s on our final report cards?  Well, open your Bibles to Matthew 25:21 and you will see exactly that.  In this passage, taken from the parable of the bags of gold, Jesus says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’

In this parable, three servants are entrusted with bags of gold provided by their master.  Two of these servants, take the bags entrusted to them and invest his money.  Upon his return, they present the master with a solid return on his investment.  The third servant, however, hid his master’s money and did nothing to steward his trust.  He gave his master only what his master had entrusted to him.  The first two servants did well, as indicated by their master’s words; but the third servant did not receive his master’s praise but a rebuke.  His gold was taken and entrusted to the first servant because of his faithfulness.

God has entrusted to each of us with a life. The question is what are we doing with it?  How are we stewarding what he has entrusted to us?  When we stand before him, will we hear the words,“Well done, good and faithful servant!” or will we be left dumbfounded, making flimsy excuses for not investing our lives in his service and producing a return?  When we stand before our heavenly father and receive our report cards for the lives we have lived, will we get all S’s?