And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Colossians 3:23 (KJV)
Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work. Colossians 3:22-24 (The Message)
The last few weeks demonstrate the three components of my life: Service (Guatemala), Play (Vacation in Mississippi) and Work (and believe me, when you return to your office after two weeks off and your boss is on vacation, you WORK!) Service, Play, Work. It is like a three legged stool that supports my life. But, when I focus on one leg, too much, I get out of balance. A friend wrote to me after I posted about my time serving Nanny Christy in Guatemala and expressed some guilt because that same week, she was on vacation, sightseeing, living in hotels and eating sumptuous restaurant meals. I wrote her back and said not to be guilty. I was getting my share of vacation time, too. I know how hard she works and how hard she ministers. She needed that vacation. Early on after trips to Guatemala, I came home with a sort of “Survivor’s Mentality.” How could I have so much when they had so little? It impacted my ability to enjoy the life I have. I have come to see that God gives us many blessings and many joys, but He expects us to enjoy them as well as to share them. I lead a very privileged life. Just the fact that I had a job to come back to speaks of my life of ease. There are still many out of work. I should be grateful for that work, but that doesn’t mean I cannot also be grateful for the times of play as well. It is all about balance, I told my friend. Life should not be all play, nor all work. But, it should not be all service, either. In order to have something to give, we must be temperate in our ministry as well. I used to be the one always raising my hand to volunteer. I did so much, but did nothing well. Now, with the maturity of age, I can see that there are things that I can do well. Things I am passionate about. And I give myself to those things and leave the rest for others. I do not have to have it all, nor do I have to do it all! One of my favorite Bible Study teachers, Beth Moore, in her study on the book of James, wrote about two principles of balance that I am trying to implement in my life. The first is “Use it or abuse it.” She says that all we have are gifts of God, but that if we hoard those gifts just to have stuff or to collect things, we abuse them. She asks us to look around us and see if there are things we have that we do not use. If so, we should give them to someone who can. The second principle is “Get One Give One”. She says we should not feel guilty about the gifts we are given, but whenever we get something new, it is an opportunity for us to take stock and give something else away. I would add a third principle about our how we use our time. “Time for work and play.” Taking a break, getting some rest is not only healthy, it is godly. God created our bodies and designed us for rest. Not only that, He commands us to rest. It’s all about balance. Sometimes, I fall off that three legged stool, but I’m getting better about it. Whatever you do, rest or play, work or service, look for the balance and remember, “Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord.”
I need to remember this. I have a tendency to overcommit and running myself ragged. In the past two weeks I've dealt with my husband's surgery, helping to organize and advertise my church's rummage sale, cleaning my garage and getting my work done. I've literally exhausted myself every single day and fall into bed by 9pm and asleep almost immediately. It's no way to live. The sale is over, my husband is recovering and while the garage isn't totally clean, it's to a place where I can stop for a bit. I need to rest. I know this – but find it so hard to just stop and do that!