A Heart Ruled By Thanksgiving
A friend recently said to me that she did not feel like her work was important. She works at a grocery store as a shelf stocker. She cleans the shelves and organizes them. She also restocks all the goods so that there is something on the shelves for the customers to buy. I wondered how on earth she could not see how important her job was. If it wasn’t for her, my local grocery store would be a wreck. I would go to buy a certain item and would not be able to find it amongst the rubble of canned goods, pastas, and paper towels. Everything would be a mess and nothing would be restocked and put neatly away on its shelf. How could she not see how important her job is and how it affected every single person that came into that store?
This made me evaluate my own life. Do I think what I do is important? Do my everyday mundane tasks of packing lunches, getting the kids off to school, writing as a hobby, cleaning house and washing clothes, picking kids up from school, running them to all their activities, making dinner, tucking kids in at night, and showering just in time to fall into bed mean anything to those around me? Nothing I do is earth shattering and world changing, but the question I need to ask myself is, “Why do I do it and who am I doing it for?”
Colossians 3:15-17 touch on many subjects. It speaks to Christians on the topic of how we are called to love each other despite our minor belief differences, but it also speaks on the topic of thanksgiving regardless of the task we are doing, the season of life we are in, or the amount of people our tasks affect.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:15-17
The word rule comes from the language of athletics. Paul speaks many times about running a race or fighting a fight. He must have loved sports and games in his day. The peace that Christ gifts us is to be the umpire or referee of our lives. Our hearts are the center of all our conflict. We build the thoughts of worthlessness, hostility, ungratefulness, and confusion in our hearts and it is hard to shake them on our own. We need the peace of Christ to rule over us. The message of Christ should seep into our hearts and rule over us in everything we do. While we are performing a job that is not glamorous or sought after, changing a diaper, cleaning a toilet, picking up kids from school, making dinner for a family that may or may not like it, or pulling weeds out of our yard, our hearts can be ruled by the peace of God and we can be thankful for the task we are given.
This can sometimes be hard to do when you’re in the thick of the tasks, but the reminder that there is a greater reward for our tasks than just earthly rewards brings us comfort and satisfaction. We may not see the reward right away here on earth but one day the reward will be revealed in a remarkable way. Sticking to the thought of thankfulness in our tasks helps us as we go through them. As we perform our tasks, may we be thankful people. People that are not performing for the world but are working out of love for Jesus. Jesus tells us in John 6:29, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Our work and tasks are to believe in Jesus with all our hearts and entrust our lives to Him. Then we will find joy in the work we are called to do. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s handiwork and that He prepared in advance the works He called us to do. Where God has placed you is not by accident. You were made and equipped to do the task you are doing. Do it with a thankful heart and know that you have a purpose in every role that you play out in your life.
Digging Deeper:
How are you doing Kingdom work as you complete your tasks?
Where do you need a heart change as you go through your daily tasks?
How can God gift you with the peace, comfort, and satisfaction as you answer His call on your life?