But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20, 21.
The Master has given to every man his work. He has given to every man according to his ability, and his trust is in proportion to his capacity. . . .
Let none mourn that they have not larger talents to use for the Master. . . . Go to work with steady patience and do your very best, irrespective of what others are doing. "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). Let not your thought or your words be, "O that I had a larger work! O that I were in this or that position!" Do your duty where you are. Make the best investments possible with your entrusted gift in the very place where your work will count the most before God. . . . Be not envious of the talents of others, for that will not increase your ability to do a good or a great work. Use your gift in meekness, in humility, in trusting faith, and wait till the day of reckoning, and you will have no cause for grief or shame. . . .
Do not aspire to do some great service when the duty of today has not been done with fidelity. Take up the commonplace care, trade on the humble talent with a solemn sense of your responsibility for the right use of every power, every thought, that God has given you. God asks no less of the lowliest than of the most exalted; each must do his appointed work with cheerful alacrity, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. . . . The church of God is made up of persons of different abilities. Like vessels of various dimensions, we are placed in the house of the Lord; but it is not expected that the smaller vessels will contain all that the larger ones will hold. All that is required is that the vessel shall be full and hold according to its ability. If you perform faithfully the duties in your path you will be an acceptable servant, an honored vessel.
Esther asked me to write down all the family stories that I could remember so that none would be lost as time goes by. It has turned into a genealogy as well. One of the memories is one that my mother used to speak about when she reminisced.
One day, about fifteen years after she had taken his children from him, they returned for a visit. It was a joyous time for all. My grandfather, who rarely smiled was all smiles to have all of his children with him. Although Ed and Dorothy had to return to Canada, that visit assured him that they had not forgotten him. Although he never saw Dorothy again, Ed came back for a visit one time when I was about six or seven. Again my grandfather was happy.