Matthew 6:24
You cannot be the slave of two masters!
You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
CBS
News has been running a story* about Fred Vautour, a Boston College
janitor who took advantage of a policy that allows children of BC
employees to attend the school tuition-free…provided they are accepted.
All five of Vautour’s children have done exactly that…his youngest,
Alicia, graduated recently with a nursing degree.
Vautour worked
the overnight shift for Boston College …cleaning Robsham Theater, which
has a 567-seat auditorium, classrooms, a dance studio, and a smaller
“black box” theater. Each child had to meet the stringent admissions
requirements for BC – and obviously Fred and his wife, Debra, have some
smart kids! – but in the end, the college’s generous policy for
employees whittled annual tuition from $66,000 per student down to about
$3000!
Since 1998, Vautour has performed these janitorial duties
to provide for his family. He said the thought of five college degrees
kept him motivated. And while the total monetary value of these five
diplomas is nearly $700,000…the dollar amount is not what appears to
have been Vautour’s primary focus. My opinion is that Fred saw the
mission God had given him - to nurture the lives of five children…and he
made this his focus.
Fred and Debra obviously invested in
their kids far beyond the impact of actual dollars. They clearly
encouraged their children to develop into bright, motivated, dedicated
young adults with a desire to become productive and successful. In
another article about this family, I learned that Fred coached Little
League…and Debra was a stay-at-home mom when the children were younger.
Fred’s annual income was approximately $60,000. This doesn’t fit the
definition of “money-hungry” in my book!
I share this family’s
story to say to you that when we focus on completing the mission God
gives us, He blesses us in ways we cannot imagine. This doesn’t mean
that all of our children will go to college virtually tuition-free. But
when we concentrate our efforts on obtaining material wealth – or
personal accolades and recognition, we can’t possibly give God the time
and attention He deserves.
We can idolize a myriad of
things…from possessions, to our personal appearance, to relationships
with other human beings and/or a hunger to be surrounded by the
attention of others. All of this robs God of our attention and
dedication. OR…we can go about our daily business, serving God as He has
designed – even as an overnight janitor and father of five who is
providing for the needs of his family (both short and long-term!). One
demonstrates, at the very least, a division of loyalties – which
short-changes God. The other represents a single-mindedness of
purpose…to hear God’s voice and follow only Him…even if He says to scrub
bathrooms and mop floors for the next 20 years!
Take a good look
at your daily living and determine who you are serving. Have you
allowed the love of money - or another desire/aspiration – to distract
you and divert your attention from God? Will this be the day that you
re-align your priorities and put the focus back on Him, where it
belongs? Don’t you think it should be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
* http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boston-college-janitor-sends-all-five-kids-to-college-for-free/
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