Lessons Within A Closet
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward." Colossians 3:23
The sun sets gently in the distant horizon. My heart, at times, has found complete satisfaction in the Father as I've gone through a busy week of adjustments. As I sit in my warm (well, hot!) bedroom, fans blowing, windows drawn open, I smile at the faithfulness and handiwork of God this past week. In moments of complete weakness, when discouragement threatened to steal my joy, He was so near. One day, as I was working on staining a closet that was taking an unusually long time, I was overcome by a desire to give into my tiredness and confused emotions. I earnestly prayed that the Lord would teach me to 'work heartily for Him' (Col. 3:23); in my own strength and desire, I knew that doing any work heartily for anyone was impossible. A wave of peace didn't come over me this time, nor did I suddenly have an excitement for the work at hand, but my mind did turn to higher things. I became almost "distracted" with the Holy, and my soul could find rest there regardless of the circumstances or feelings. Finally, I finished the closet, and walked away to begin another task with potent chemical aroma clinging to my skin, but restful heart. Later, Jason arrived back home and we excitedly went into the bedroom to admire the newly stained closet! With hesitation, he ran his hand across the wood. Stain stuck to his fingertips, and we soon discovered that the stain had gone bad over time. Five hours had been spent with a paintbrush in a little, warm room for nothing. Yet, to my surprise, I didn't care. I felt sad that time had been wasted in serving Jason and Sarah, but in my mind, the job had still been a success. Though the stain had gone bad, my heart had taken one more step toward goodness: I had been strengthened and realigned with my loving, patient Savior. The inheritance in working for Jesus had became sweet in the light of heavenly perspective.
Working for Jesus is a beautiful path toward sanctification. After my "lesson within a closet," true joy in my household duties stirred within me. Tears come to my eyes as I ponder the walls He had to break down this week. Oh, how Satan tries to destroy our position before the Father! Intimacy with Him is close at hand, and I'm blown away by His patience and grace in the moment of desperation and self-distraction.
After three days of working at Jason and Sarah's home, I went up the mountain to stay for a couple days to work with Saralyn (my ever-sweet, kind roommate at the Cafe!). The tranquility and peace of that mount overwhelms the soul, and each time we "climb" it in the trusty, old truck, I'm amazed at the gifts of God in creation. Again, the heat and exhaustion of the work up there threatened to distract me from whom I was ultimately serving, but in God's grace, rest continued to enter my spirit.
Life is hard here, but I'm amazed at the way God is ministering to our hearts and souls. There is never too full a day, or too weary a body, to wander down to the beach to catch a sunset! There is never too much to do that we can't pause to pray and read scripture throughout the day. In the end, all work can be a success when we've taken one more step toward goodness, regardless of the job accomplished or goals attained. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Thank you for praying. God is so good and gracious! Have a blessed week!
The sun sets gently in the distant horizon. My heart, at times, has found complete satisfaction in the Father as I've gone through a busy week of adjustments. As I sit in my warm (well, hot!) bedroom, fans blowing, windows drawn open, I smile at the faithfulness and handiwork of God this past week. In moments of complete weakness, when discouragement threatened to steal my joy, He was so near. One day, as I was working on staining a closet that was taking an unusually long time, I was overcome by a desire to give into my tiredness and confused emotions. I earnestly prayed that the Lord would teach me to 'work heartily for Him' (Col. 3:23); in my own strength and desire, I knew that doing any work heartily for anyone was impossible. A wave of peace didn't come over me this time, nor did I suddenly have an excitement for the work at hand, but my mind did turn to higher things. I became almost "distracted" with the Holy, and my soul could find rest there regardless of the circumstances or feelings. Finally, I finished the closet, and walked away to begin another task with potent chemical aroma clinging to my skin, but restful heart. Later, Jason arrived back home and we excitedly went into the bedroom to admire the newly stained closet! With hesitation, he ran his hand across the wood. Stain stuck to his fingertips, and we soon discovered that the stain had gone bad over time. Five hours had been spent with a paintbrush in a little, warm room for nothing. Yet, to my surprise, I didn't care. I felt sad that time had been wasted in serving Jason and Sarah, but in my mind, the job had still been a success. Though the stain had gone bad, my heart had taken one more step toward goodness: I had been strengthened and realigned with my loving, patient Savior. The inheritance in working for Jesus had became sweet in the light of heavenly perspective.
Working for Jesus is a beautiful path toward sanctification. After my "lesson within a closet," true joy in my household duties stirred within me. Tears come to my eyes as I ponder the walls He had to break down this week. Oh, how Satan tries to destroy our position before the Father! Intimacy with Him is close at hand, and I'm blown away by His patience and grace in the moment of desperation and self-distraction.
After three days of working at Jason and Sarah's home, I went up the mountain to stay for a couple days to work with Saralyn (my ever-sweet, kind roommate at the Cafe!). The tranquility and peace of that mount overwhelms the soul, and each time we "climb" it in the trusty, old truck, I'm amazed at the gifts of God in creation. Again, the heat and exhaustion of the work up there threatened to distract me from whom I was ultimately serving, but in God's grace, rest continued to enter my spirit.
Life is hard here, but I'm amazed at the way God is ministering to our hearts and souls. There is never too full a day, or too weary a body, to wander down to the beach to catch a sunset! There is never too much to do that we can't pause to pray and read scripture throughout the day. In the end, all work can be a success when we've taken one more step toward goodness, regardless of the job accomplished or goals attained. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Thank you for praying. God is so good and gracious! Have a blessed week!
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