For my oldest daughter’s fourteenth birthday she wanted to go somewhere fun. We decided on the City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. This museum is no ordinary museum. It is basically artwork you get to climb on and play in. The museum is housed in an old city warehouse building. There have been hours and hours of many artistically talented people who have welded metal piece after metal piece to make tubes and staircases to climb in, on, and amongst. There are old airplanes, trolleys, a fire truck and a school bus to name a few of the highlights. The school bus actually teeters off of the rooftop 11 stories high. There are many fun slides including a ten story high slide. Everywhere you look there are old things like broken glass to make beautiful mosaic art, broken shells, old soda canisters, jars, old records, old architectural pieces from city buildings, all kinds of repurposed trash compiles this fun and whimsical place into beautiful sculptures and pieces of art. There is even a working Ferris wheel up on the rooftop. Usually I am drawn to more nature types of attractions, but this is one industrial sight I love to visit. This place took so much creativity and design. The intricate tunnels are such that you see your child walk into the mouth of a giant whale and then their head will pop out from under a sculptured tree across the room like a mole. Each piece in this grand design is important. If any piece especially a rot iron bar decided that did not want to serve its purpose it would be detrimental. As I enjoyed the whimsy of the museum I couldn’t help but be reminded of our grand designer and creator God. He has a specific purpose and plan for each of us. How detrimental is it to our lives when we decide to not follow His purpose and plan?

Matthew 25:14-30 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.” ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

When we are not fulfilling the purpose God has for our life God will give that blessing to someone who will. We miss out on abundant and eternal life. When we trust in Jesus and allow Him to work through our lives He blesses in ways that are unimaginable. Jesus spoke this parable using a monetary example because that is something we can identify with. God’s plans are much greater than any monetary or material gain. “Well done my good and faithful servant.” or “darkness”, “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We have a choice.