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In Aesop’s fable of the rabbit and the turtle, the rabbit ridiculed the turtle because he was so slow. So the turtle challenged the rabbit to a race. They both started together, but the rabbit was so confident that he would outrun the turtle and win that he stopped along the way to take a nap. Well, while he slept, the turtle kept plodding along and won the race. The message is clear. People who faithfully keep going while others sleep are the ones who win the race. Jesus in Luke Chapter 12 made the same point using language more simple and direct. He used the analogy of a man who put his servant in charge of his house while he went away. Jesus asked, “Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it. He will give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.” Jesus concludes his point by saying: “Great gifts mean great responsibilities.” Unlike the rabbit that took a nap and lost the race, we must remain diligent in doing the will of our Father in heaven.
