A few years ago, I had the good fortune of hosting my friends and their little toddler. She had just started walking, or should I say running, as she explored her newfound feet that could carry her to forbidden places. I noticed that her parents took turns trying to keep her out of trouble.
One morning, when my friend walked out of the bedroom, she found the little terror sitting on the counter minding her own business while I was making breakfast. My friend was astonished at how quietly her child was sitting. I had given her a pile of greens and asked her to put them into a big mixing bowl one at a time. When she finished, I would give her another pile, and she would pick them up one by one and place them in the bowl diligently. To my friend’s amazement, I said I could not take credit for that trick. It was the same one my mom had used on me.
I feel like that toddler on the kitchen counter. The work I do could be done by anybody, and God could have it all accomplished in the blink of an eye. Yet He entrusted it to me. That makes me feel important and valued, like a co-contributor in something far greater than myself. And I think that matters, because it takes the pressure off everything. As long as I am doing what God expects of me and trusting that He is in control, nothing I do will be in vain and nothing will fail.
“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
-Psalm 46:5
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.“
I was taught that work is worship. This may not be theologically sound, but if I were to draw out the Hebrew meaning of the word for work in Genesis with the help of the internet, this is what I find: at its most basic level it means to work or to serve, but it goes much deeper than simple labor. It encompasses the idea of working the land, serving another person, and most significantly, serving and worshipping God. The same word is used throughout the Old Testament to describe the service of the Levites in the tabernacle and the temple, which tells us something profound: in the Hebrew mindset, work and worship were not separate concepts. To work is to worship.
“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”
-Genesis 2:15
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.”
-Exodus 8:1
My hope is that you enjoy your work today. Whatever feels like labor, may it turn to worship. The harder it is, the more of a dedication you can make of it. But remember, it is for God, so there is no reason for stress. God bless you.
Dear God,
Thank You for giving me abilities that keep me out of trouble. Thank You for assigning me work that helps me worship You and bring You glory. Amen.