Pip: There is a children’s book about a small train that refused to quit, and it turns out it has been quietly making the theological case for servant leadership this whole time.
Mara: Claudette Glaude-Scott draws on that story in a piece about choosing to help when it costs you something — and that is the territory we are covering today.
Pip: Let’s start with what it actually means to choose to do good.
Choose to Do Good
Pip: The question this piece is really asking is not whether people need help — it is why so many of us find reasons not to give it, and what a small, underpowered train has to say about that.
Mara: The post works through The Little Engine That Could engine by engine, and the turn comes with Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Pip: That verse lands differently here than on a motivational poster — it is not about personal ambition, it is the engine the little train is running on when the hill gets steep and she is pulling weight that was never hers to carry.
Mara: The two engines who refused each have a distinct failure. The passenger engine considers the cargo beneath her status. The freight engine dismisses it as low-value. The post maps both to real behavior, citing Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.”
Pip: So the refusals are not neutral — they are active judgments dressed up as scheduling conflicts.
Mara: James 2:3-4 gets quoted on exactly that point: “If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ — well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?”
Pip: The little engine does not have a clean answer to whether she can do it. She just starts moving and keeps talking herself forward.
Mara: And the post closes on Galatians 6:10: “We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.” The thought for the day is direct — when the opportunity presents itself, choose to do good.
Pip: The whole argument is that willingness matters more than capacity, and the engines with the most capacity were the ones who found reasons to stay on the track.
Mara: The throughline is simple: help when you can, especially when it is inconvenient.
Pip: Small engines, steep hills — same story next time.is a children’s book about a small train that refused to quit, and it turns out it has been quietly making the theological case for servant leadership this whole time.
Mara: Claudette Glaude-Scott draws on that story in a piece about choosing to help when it costs you something — and that is the territory we are covering today.
Pip: Let’s start with what it actually means to choose to do good.
Choose to Do Good
Pip: The question this piece is really asking is not whether people need help — it is why so many of us find reasons not to give it, and what a small, underpowered train has to say about that.
Mara: The post works through The Little Engine That Could engine by engine, and the turn comes with Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Pip: That verse lands differently here than on a motivational poster — it is not about personal ambition, it is the engine the little train is running on when the hill gets steep and she is pulling weight that was never hers to carry.
Mara: The two engines who refused each have a distinct failure. The passenger engine considers the cargo beneath her status. The freight engine dismisses it as low-value. The post maps both to real behavior, citing Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.”
Pip: So the refusals are not neutral — they are active judgments dressed up as scheduling conflicts.
Mara: James 2:3-4 gets quoted on exactly that point: “If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ — well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?”
Pip: The little engine does not have a clean answer to whether she can do it. She just starts moving and keeps talking herself forward.
Mara: And the post closes on Galatians 6:10: “We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.” The thought for the day is direct — when the opportunity presents itself, choose to do good.
Pip: The whole argument is that willingness matters more than capacity, and the engines with the most capacity were the ones who found reasons to stay on the track.
Mara: The throughline is simple: help when you can, especially when it is inconvenient.
Pip: Small engines, steep hills — same story next time.is a children’s book about a small train that refused to quit, and it turns out it has been quietly making the theological case for servant leadership this whole time.
Mara: Claudette Glaude-Scott draws on that story in a piece about choosing to help when it costs you something — and that is the territory we are covering today.
Pip: Let’s start with what it actually means to choose to do good.
Choose to Do Good
Pip: The question this piece is really asking is not whether people need help — it is why so many of us find reasons not to give it, and what a small, underpowered train has to say about that.
Mara: The post works through The Little Engine That Could engine by engine, and the turn comes with Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Pip: That verse lands differently here than on a motivational poster — it is not about personal ambition, it is the engine the little train is running on when the hill gets steep and she is pulling weight that was never hers to carry.
Mara: The two engines who refused each have a distinct failure. The passenger engine considers the cargo beneath her status. The freight engine dismisses it as low-value. The post maps both to real behavior, citing Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.”
Pip: So the refusals are not neutral — they are active judgments dressed up as scheduling conflicts.
Mara: James 2:3-4 gets quoted on exactly that point: “If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ — well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?”
Pip: The little engine does not have a clean answer to whether she can do it. She just starts moving and keeps talking herself forward.
Mara: And the post closes on Galatians 6:10: “We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.” The thought for the day is direct — when the opportunity presents itself, choose to do good.
Pip: The whole argument is that willingness matters more than capacity, and the engines with the most capacity were the ones who found reasons to stay on the track.
Mara: The throughline is simple: help when you can, especially when it is inconvenient.
Pip: Small engines, steep hills — same story next time.
Victory Walk 