Are you, like me, ready for spring? I am longing for time in the great outdoors. In the meantime, I sit by the fire and write, noticing things around the house. One of these things gave me inspiration for the next few weeks. Isn’t it amazing how we can find Spirit-inspired life lessons in everything? Smile, and be blessed…Spring will be here soon!
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For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:9 – NIV
Before I begin this story, let me offer that this is not an advertisement. I have to say this because whenever this subject comes up, my friends tell me that I sound like an infomercial. I can’t help it. I love my Roomba!
Several years back, my mother stopped buying Christmas presents. Instead, my parents graciously provide each of us a generous check. My father calls it “foolishness money” because we can spend it on whatever we want. Eric, Jonathan and I look forward to this treat each year, giving serious thought to what we will purchase with our Christmas money, and my parents get a big kick out of watching us spend it.
Three years ago, before Christmas even arrived, I already knew how I would spend my Christmas money. I wanted a “Roomba!” If you aren’t familiar with this concept, it is a robotic vacuum cleaner. Round like a frisbee and 3 inches high, the device sports several tiny exterior brushes, a rechargeable motor, a miniature set of wheels, and even sound effects. It hosts a wireless connection allowing you to program it right from your iPad. It can be programmed to start vacuuming at a specific time on any given day of the week. Can you imagine that?
Right after Christmas, I headed to the store and came home with my Roomba! I have to say that none of Jonathan’s little remote control cars could hold a candle to this thing. We read the directions, charged it up, and turned it on. With a warning,
“Beep, beep, beep,” the Roomba backed away from its charger and began its work. I watched with fascination as it made its way under dressers and beds sucking up every molecule of dirt and dust in sight. In the first five minutes, I had a new best friend!
Following it from room to room, I watched it work, giggling with fascination that it really could clean my hardwood floors. I had thought my floors relatively clean swept and Swiffered, but I lived to be surprised. The Roomba collected so much dust that we had to keep emptying its trash bin so it could continue its work. I’m not kidding! I followed that little Star Wars R2-D2 like device all over my house, simply captivated with amazement. It is a clever piece of machinery, well crafted and beautifully equipped for service.
No doubt about it, I am crazy about my Roomba, for that smart little invention serves me well and gives me great pleasure.
I also have no doubt that our Heavenly Father looks down on us in both tenderness and amazement. We are His creation, the work of His hands. He has fashioned us in His own image, that we might bear witness to Him, that we might bring Him glory. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who adores us. We are His children. We bear His hope, spread His joy.
We were created for worship, to worship the Sovereign Lord who created us, and one of the ways we worship is through service.
I caught this phrase the other day, and it stuck with me. “Every act of service is worship.” Think about that. If our hearts are in the right place, then every act of service we perform is an act of worship, an offering of hands and heart to our Lord. Doing the dishes, mowing the grass, feeding the hungry…it’s all service, and it can all be worship if we do it in a way that honors God. If we take the work that God has given us and complete it with diligence, honesty and integrity, that work can be offered as worship. When we take the spiritual gifts and talents God has given us and put them to good use serving others, we are giving back to God what He has so graciously given us. That is a form of worship.
As I watch my little Roomba work so hard to clean my floors, I am reminded that I must work hard to serve my Lord. I wasn’t placed here to whittle away my days in idleness, I was put here to serve. From serving my family with household tasks to serving my community in volunteer projects, I can offer my efforts to God. By encouraging a friend who is downcast, I can offer worship. Whatever work is before me, I can make it worship if my heart is in the right place.
For three years now, my little robotic vacuum cleaner has served me well. Recognizing its value in its first few minutes in our household, I determined that it was a “he,” and he deserved a name. Watching him work, I decided that he was Reginald, the butler, and affectionately nicknamed him “Reggie.” Reggie has become a valued member of the family.
We are valued members of God’s family, precious children of our Holy God who adores us. He has a name for us too. He calls us “Beloved.”
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For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 – NLT
PRAYER
O Creator God, thank You for this gift of life, for the amazing way You created us and gifted us to serve You. Let us see that every act of service, no matter how mundane or menial, can be an act of worship if we offer it with the right attitude. Help us adjust our attitudes and open our hearts to the work You have gifted us to do. May our service honor You and bring You glory!
Faith Beyond Sight 