health

Be faithful with the little you have if you want to have more.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Matthew 25:23

I mentioned this principle in How to Make Money That Lasts: Principles to Follow. Sometimes we think we only have a little, but what matters is what we do with the little we have.

Thus, I’m listing down ways to be faithful with each of the “little or few things” we have. In this way, we can do an inventory if we are doing them and, consequently, change toward being faithful.

What can we consider as “few” or “little”? 

1. Mental abilities
2. Physical abilities
3. Talents and skills
4. Money
5. Job
6. Opportunities
7. Property
8. Health
9. Time

Be faithful with little intelligence.

According to Jordan Peterson, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto, “IQ is the biggest predictor of success.” Many people believe the same, but it is not always true.

We know of some people with low mental capacities but succeeded. There are also some who, by sicknesses, lost some cognitive abilities. Later, they were able to overcome.

Though some of us may not have been born very intelligent, we can use what little intelligence we have to learn more things and have “acquired intelligence.” Moreover, as we know, whatever level of intelligence we have that is unused becomes dull.

Thus, we should sharpen whatever mental abilities we have to keep them and acquire more.

How to be faithful with whatever intelligence we have:

1. Use them and keep using them.
2. Do mental activities that sharpen the brain.
3. Avoid a “know-it-all” mindset that leads to complacency.
4. Have a growth mindset and keep on learning.
5. Acquire more knowledge diligently when you have the time and opportunity.  
6. Eat food that helps the brain perform best.  
7. Sleep well and enough. 

Growth mindset: “Let’s not be know-it-alls; let’s be learn-it-alls.”

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Be faithful with physical abilities.

We know of many people who have been born with physical disabilities. Many also experience accidents or illnesses that cause them to be debilitated.  Many complain, mull over their fate, and get depressed. On the other hand, many overcome and maximize the use of whatever physical abilities they have. 

One of the best and inspiring examples is Nick Vujicic. He was born without arms and legs. Yet, he was able to hold against the odds and succeed. He is a painter, swimmer, and skydiver. He also plays golf, goes fishing, and makes music. He is a husband and a father to four children. Most of all, he is a motivational speaker and a Christian evangelist.  

Who are you, and what is your value? What’s your purpose in life? What’s your destiny in the afterlife? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you are more disabled than I.

Nick Vujicic

The second is Joni Eareckson Tada, who turned quadriplegic after a near-fatal dive. She is a painter, singer, writer, and activist. Best of all, she is also a motivational speaker and Christian evangelist.

Abilities don’t determine our value.

Joni Eareckson

The problem is that there are many of us with no physical defects and yet cannot accomplish much. If disabled people can be faithful with what they have, why couldn’t we?

Be faithful with few talents and skills.

I don’t think there is anyone born immediately with a specific talent or skill. What I believe is that the environment is the one that generates the interest and hones the skills of a person. Now it’s up to the person to develop the talents and skills he wants to have.

We may have some skills, but not as much as some others have. Then we wonder why others have more when we only have a few. Perhaps, they also had a few in the past, but they developed more.

Notice that when we don’t use a skill we have, the day will come that we will lose that skill. I learned another language but never used it, so I lost the language.

No man can stand still; the moment progress is not made, retrogression begins. If the blade is not kept sharp and bright, the law of rust will assert its claim.

Orison Swett Marden

Be faithful with little money.

Often, we say our money is not enough. However, haven’t we learned during the pandemic that we can live with less and simply? It’s something that we should realize. When we do, it will be easier for us to budget our money to have savings for investing.

Sometimes it does not matter if our income is big or small if we squander them all anyway.

Be trustworthy with your job.

We may receive a job offer, but we do not accept it because of pride, even without choices. Probably, we already have one with very modest pay, but we give it up immediately even though there is no alternative yet. These actions are opposed to being faithful with little.

On the other hand, someone can see a simple job as a stepping stone to something greater. If you are starting, remember, any job will give you some skills you can use in the future. It also gives you something to write as experience on your resume.

Don’t wait for your next job to do your best work. That I think is the crux of it.  If you think about every job you get as the most important job and as the thing that is perhaps your last job but you gave it all, and of course from there a lot of things will happen.”

– Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

How to be faithful with the job we have:

1. Understand and meet the goals in your work.  
2. Do your best with whatever situations are in your workplace.
3. Find problems and create solutions.  
4. Take the initiative to do things needed without being told.
5. Do or give the extra mile.
6. Learn from every situation in the job.

Be trustworthy with opportunity.

Many of us want opportunities for advancement or to get whatever we want in life. However, many times there are opportunities that come but which go past us unseen.

We may miss them because we are not persistent in looking. Why? Probably because we are not ready. Thus, we do not expect to get the opportunity we want. 

I’ve watched a video of an interview with Elon Musk of TESLA and SpaceX. In the interview, he mentioned that he applied for a job in Netscape, but he wasn’t accepted. As he couldn’t get hired in few internet companies in 1995, he decided to build his own company. HE CREATED HIS OPPORTUNITY. He’s now the world’s richest man in 2021 with a net worth of $185 billion, surpassing Jeff Bezos of Amazon with $184 billion.

How to be faithful with any opportunity:

1. Be clear about what you want. 
2. Keep looking.
3. Identify the skills needed.
4. Know what steps are necessary to get the opportunity wanted.
5. Prepare with the necessary skills and requirements.
6. Polish language and interview skills.  
7. Build and improve resume.
8. Tailor your resume or pitch to what the employer expects.
9. Grab the opportunity wanted whenever possible.
10. Show up ready for the opportunity.
11. Create opportunities.

Opportunity comes to those who are ready for it.

Anonymous

I’ve read a forwarded tweet lately which said,

Don’t think you deserve a job? Apply for it anyways.  Don’t think your article is good enough? Publish it anyways. Don’t think they’ll reply to your email? Send it anyways.  Don’t self-reject.

— Sahil

Be trustworthy with few properties.

Most of us have some properties: land, buildings, houses, equipment, appliances, gadgets, clothes, etc. Often, we want those we don’t have. Sometimes, we want more of those we already have. Again, the issue is what do we do with what we already have.

How to be faithful with the property we have:

1. Use them to the best advantage.
2. Do a regular inventory of things you use and do not use.
3. Sell or give away those you don’t use.
4. Buy only those you need and will use.  
5. Try to delay gratification. You might realize you don’t need it.  

Be trustworthy with health.

Health is the most valuable wealth we have. If we lose it, we lose everything we have, or we die early.

How to be faithful with health: 

1. Stay healthy for yourself and others.  
2. Prioritize health over luxury and convenience. 
3. Live long to fulfill your God-given dreams.

Be trustworthy with time.

We are all given the same amount of time: 24 hours. Some people can do more with the time available, while others can do less.  

How to be trustworthy with time:

1. Use time well.
2. Use the time to learn something.
3. Use time to do something productive.
4. Use the time when you are the most active.
5. Use less effective times to do exercises or some tidying.
6. Take inventory of what you do to see which activities waste time.
7. Use the time to help others.  
8. Volunteer.

The more important

Additionally, below are a few more important things we can do to be faithful with what we have: 

1. Be thankful for whatever we have got.
2. Never complain about what we have or do not have.
3. Honor God by serving Him and others with whatever we have got.
4. Seek God for His plans and surrender to His plans.  

When we do, we will see that we will have more of what little we have.

Thus, are you able to be faithful with the little you have? I know that many of us, including myself, are sometimes guilty of not being faithful with little. If so, let today be a start of being trustworthy with more “few” that we have.

My being faithful now is learning web development, building this blog site, and writing content. Instead of keeping what I learn in disorganized notes on paper, I am writing and publishing what I learn. With this blog, I am creating opportunities. One day, when I start doing affiliate marketing, I know that I can gain passive income.   

Do you have any more ideas on how to be faithful with little? Please comment down below.

Let me end with a prayer:

Father God, thank you for everything You have given us. Help us not complain about what we don’t have. Please help us to be faithful with whatever we have. May we honor You by serving You and others. We want to hear you say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Lord, let us know Your plans and purposes for us. We surrender ourselves to you. In Jesus’ name, amen!