Stick It Out
May 16
And whatever you do…do it in the name of the Lord Jesus…
Colossians 3:17
Glenn was tired. As a matter of fact he couldn’t remember ever feeling so energy-depleted or needing to summon the initiative to continue his task. Reminding himself why he’d volunteered for this project, he said a quick prayer and headed back inside, picked up the crowbar, and continued prying off the water-damaged baseboard along the floor of the house.
Recent floods had left many homes within the community in need of repair, so Glenn and several members from their church had volunteered to help in reconstruction projects. This was Glenn’s third such renovation, and what had at first been exciting and fulfilling had now become mundane and tedious; day after day, doing the same thing; tear out the water-damaged material so the next crew could come along and restore the dwelling to a livable residence.
The first two renovations had left him with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. So why the sudden change in attitude? Glenn couldn’t summon the elusive feelings of satisfaction he’d gotten from his earlier involvement. Repetition had a way of stealing the joy of service. But he refused to quit. He knew how much this meant to the homeowner.
†
It’s easy to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the midst of new and exciting things. Repetition, however, has a way of stripping the shine from the veneer and dulling the beauty of our service because Satan sends discouragement our way.
Knowing Satan will try to steal the joy in our service can work in our favor, for with that knowledge we can refuse to give in to his attacks during boring, everyday-repetition.
When we commit our efforts to Christ we work in His strength; in His light the dull and monotonous are transfigured.
Paul urged the Colossians to commit their hearts, in everything they did, to Jesus. Knowing human tendency is toward pleasure and fulfillment, Paul repeated his urgings in the twenty-third verse, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Doing the glamorous is easy. Learning to stick it out in the mundane is where character is constructed.
Prayer
“Lord, help me stay in the game when boredom tries to get me to quit or give less than my best. Teach me perseverance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment