We all know people who we believe are doing more than their share of work. I have friends whose widowed mother has been failing as she ages. She still manages and desires to live on her own – well, sort of.
At first, my friend would just check in on Mom with a daily phone call and then make sure to go to her house once or twice a week. The visits are a 20-minute drive one-way.
Adding the drive time to the visit means my friend had to make a concerted effort to deviate from his regular schedule, but it was still doable.
Then, Mom had a bit of a downturn and so some adjustments were made to her older home to accommodate her better. A new walk-in shower with a place to sit replacing the tub was designed and constructed and it seems to be much safer, too. She doesn’t drive anymore, but still enjoys her limited independence. She wants to stay in her family home; it’s her home, her bed, her kitchen, and it is familiar.
Mostly, we all find it very comforting to be in our own homes.
We decorated it, we know where every item is kept, and we sleep well. From what I hear from the elderly in my church family, it is absolutely normal to want to stay in our homes until it is physically or mentally impossible.
Mom has slowed down even more lately, and her sons want to please her and honor her wishes to stay in her house. They spend considerably more time now with Mom than ever before, making sure she is safe and has company, but one brother appears to be doing far more than half the work. He loves his mother, and he tells me this is his way of giving back to her for all her years in raising him. He appears to have no resentment and has taken this job on as his work from God.
This kind of devotion and love amazes me, as I know how terribly selfish I am with my time. Maybe I’m the only one who gets into this “poor me, I am Cinderella” attitude when I feel I am doing work and getting no appreciation, but I have to admit that on occasion I mentally whine. I try to fight it, but it just keeps roaring back to life until I remember that this is my job. This is the job I have been given by God to do and to God will the glory go when I perform my work well.
I have never been one to enjoy housework, cooking, and such, but even these jobs that I don’t enjoy I can use to glorify God if I do them well. Thankfully, God also gives me work to do, which I find very enjoyable, such as sharing His word with others.
For those of us that follow Jesus and call ourselves Christians, we are given work to do while here on Earth. The Apostle Paul tells us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)
In my imagination, I picture our job lists taped to a heavenly refrigerator waiting for each task to be crossed off. God uses the gifts and skills he has already given us, so that we may do His good works. If we enjoy cooking, most likely hospitality will be on our list. If accounting is in our blood, then God will use that skill for His Glory.
Paul, in writing to the Colossians 3:23-24, tells them and us, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
From this passage, we learn firstly that we need to do our work well and with enthusiasm. We do it well because we love God and want to please Him by obeying His will. Secondly, we recognize that our reward is not on Earth – so Earthly accolades, although nice, are not why we obey God.
This is how it works – Jesus asks us to do a job and then if we obey, we do the job, and do it well to His approval and glory. In this way, we show Jesus how much we love Him, and we also show others how much we love Jesus, along with our joy in working for Him.
At church, we are often asked to volunteer for this or that job.
Other people don’t always know our skills and are often looking for a body to fill a need. We have to consider each request and ask through prayer if this is work, we should be doing or are we better used in another area. We can fill our days with work meant for someone else if we simply agree to every request.
Many of us have heard that God gives us gifts to use for Him, but we have no idea what our gifts may be. Gifts we can use for God are usually something that naturally brings us joy and pleasure.
If we ask God, I am sure He will be happy to show us our gifts and give us opportunities to use them. All our talents and devoted hearts can be used for His glory.
Just consider my friend. He could be traveling the U.S. with his wife in his retirement or seeing the world, but he finds himself with a job to do and he does it.
What a love for God and his mother his work proves, and it certainly inspires me to shore up my attitude when I feel a Cinderella moment coming on.
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City.
