“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 NIV
As I settled myself onto the cold, hard, gray bleachers, I chose to ignore the prevalent smell of perspiration. Once again, I was at the gym. I watched the gymnasts of varying abilities. The teen girls at the uneven bars, swirling around like the hands of a clock on fast forward. The teen boys incredible show of strength as they practiced the rings.
As I glanced down from the balcony to the gym floor, I spied our six-year-old daughter mounting the bars. I saw her flip herself forward over the bar. Perfect execution. Perfect landing. Next, she set up to flip backwards over the bar. Her legs came up quickly and she folded in, flipping under the bar instead of over top.
She repositioned her feet. She exhaled with vigor. And then, she glanced up. She caught my eye. I gave her a smile and a ‘thumb’s up.’
She paused and grinned that precious missing teeth grin and waved. Then her face grew serious as she repositioned her feet and double-checked the spacing of her hands. Better do my absolute best, mom’s watching, her facial muscles conveyed as she focused her attention on that back flip.
Colossians 3:23 reminds us, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
While my eyes were often on our daughter at practice, they were not always. But God’s loving eyes are forever on us. He sees and evaluates each and every task we perform. Extending grace to a grievous co-worker. Practicing patience with a forgetful friend. Speaking truth to a tense teen. And, choosing to love when it feels unreciprocated.
Our obedience to this command often creates a chance to witness to others. Our obedience and our attempts at obedience can also draw us closer to God. We must, very honestly, assess ourselves and determine what we’re lacking. Then, we must humbly ask God to supply our needs. He’s happy to fulfill His promise in Philippians 4:19.
We don’t need to score a perfect ten with every attempt. We just need to try to give each day, each task, our ultimate best. Through the challenge and perseverance, we’ll be rewarded.
Because any move God executes is always a perfect 10!
Reflections:
When am I most likely to give a task my best?
When am I most likely to not give something my all? Why?
Read Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” NIV
How, even when I don’t feel like it, am I obeying God when I give a task my all?
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You always want what is the very best for me. Thank You for supplying my needs for motivation, conviction, and overcoming temptation to walk away from what You have called me to do: give each task, each relationship, my all. Thank You for always supplying my needs, even the need for encouragement to persevere. Amen.
Thanks for the reading! Please return by Monday, October 6, for the next post.