For the last couple weeks, I have been reflecting on the Gospel reading about the landowner who hired laborers to work his vineyard. Some men were hired early, and they worked a full day for him. Others worked for lesser amounts of time; some as little as an hour. At the end of the day, he paid them all the same and that is where the ruckus begins – for the laborers and for us.

From a young age, we begin to consider ourselves authorities on fairness. Long before the age of reason, preschoolers vent their frustration by screaming, “It’s not fair!” So even though we weren’t the ones sweating all day in the vineyard, our human nature sees the owner’s behavior as unjust. And clearly the landowner wanted to make his generosity known to all, because he could have avoided the controversy entirely by paying the first-hired laborers first. Each group could have walked away satisfied, never knowing what the later groups earned.

But rather than just looking at it from a financial point of view, let’s consider what was accomplished that day. The landowner needed workers to transform his fields. The laborers that were there for a full day made a bigger impact on the health and productivity of the vineyard than the ones that only worked an hour or so. Before leaving, the laborers who worked a full day could have paused and looked at a large section of field and felt a great sense of satisfaction.

I want to look at my relationship with Jesus the same way. He invites all of us into his Kingdom. Some people begin following Him as children, others as young adults or in middle life. Others resist Jesus’ call until their last years or deathbed, but no matter when the conversions occur, Jesus, like the landowner, is generous with all of us. As disciples, no matter when we entered God’s service, let us pause and reflect on our years of toil and sweat with a sense of accomplishment knowing we are positively impacting the health and productivity of his Kingdom.

Scripture: Read Matthew 20:11-12. What stands out?

Call to Action: Embrace the idea of working hard for God and reflect on what you can accomplish rather than what you will receive.