When a small member of the body fails to act, the whole frame suffers a common deformity. You feel this now, waiting for your nephew’s promised help. That promise hangs unconfirmed, and the delay troubles you. But consider how even the eyelid, though slight, adorns the eye and protects its function. Let this inward reflection guard you from being trampled by anxiety or from trampling on him with harshness, for his readiness to serve is the very thing that will bring beauty to your household needs.
Now you ask for confirmation, and you wish that confirmation to come today. The bonds and trials of the Apostle were called a confirmation of the Gospel, not because they were painless, but because they proved his sincerity before God and man. If your nephew confirms his word and takes up this labor, it is a small confirmation of his love for you. Do not despise the waiting as a mark of ignorance or neglect on anyone’s part, but see whether this testing of patience is not permitted for the safety of both your souls, lest either of you be exalted overmuch. The sudden destruction of peace comes upon those who speak of safety while living in insensibility; so be watchful, yet do not let your heart be troubled as if no help will come.
You speak of acceptable conditions and rules. This is prudent. A household divided against itself cannot stand, just as a church torn by factions falls into ruin. Agree together on the terms plainly, so that no root of bitterness springs up later over payment or the manner of work. For one we love as a nephew, bound by family affection, but when he works for wages, he serves in another relation. Let that distinction be clear, and let your agreement guard against the evil of dispute.
Entrust the outcome not to the empty promise of skill without a ship, as it were, but commit the work to God, the true steersman. Pray that your nephew, undertaking this, does a great job and remains safe, for such labor requires strict circumspection against harm. And if he does well in this small task of painting, you may find the door open for other handiwork, as you hope. God, who foreknew His people and did not cast them off, knows your needs and the disposition of your nephew’s heart.