Dear Sister,
All too often I am driven, focused, and fulfilled by completing my to-do list. The goals of the day tend to consume my thoughts, time and energy. I find a great amount of delight in recounting all the accomplishments of the day—much as one might finger precious jewels. Until recently, I felt such an approach to life was, ahem, a rather superior one.
Suddenly it dawned on me though cleaning, laundry, cooking, creating, grading, managing the finances, etc. are all important, they will not last—in fact, they are often undone or need to be done again in a matter of moments. 1 Cor. 13:8 came to mind: “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.” Finish laundry or stop to love on my kids? Rush home with the groceries or spend a moment talking with the bagger? Jump into the morning to get some early work done or spend time with God before the craziness begins? Frankly, I feel the Holy Spirit telling me love should always win—relationships are the trump cards. It is not that God does not want me to work or to take delight in my work, on the contrary—He just wants me to do so in the right context, with the right priorities.
Yes, the work is crucial, but as a means to an end—it is the background for delighting in God’s presence and relating with others. The world, things, our creations are simply the playing field for our real work: relationships. The Greatest Commandments are to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:36-39). Those are the ultimate achievements in our world—nothing else matters in comparison.
I have discovered that I was glorying in the exquisite way I could manicure the field where the game was to be played. Oh, it was beautiful! I had disciplined myself to produce an excellent piece of work. Unfortunately, the actual game is of infinitely greater value than the field upon which it is played. With tears of regret, I am beginning to restructure my priorities to reflect my Lord’s. The necessary surgery is a painful one, for pride is involved; but He is gentle surgeon, and I know though the recovery may be long and difficult, He will not stop healing me until I too can play the game with great skill. It is a wonderful thing to find delight in His presence!
Running with you,
Rebecca