By ANNIE WESCHE
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Luke 4:8
“It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Col. 3:24b
Several years back I sat across from a gem of a young woman named Marlene whom I was training to assist me with our magazine. I would give her an article and she would work up some design concepts. Later in the week we’d then meet up to review and revise the designs before prepping them for publication. On one such occasion, as I took my first look at what she’d been working on all week, my heart sank. Immediately, I realized that I had given her the wrong article. She had done a marvelous job, but my mistake had rendered her designs utterly useless. All that work. All those hours photo searching. An entire week given to make something beautiful and we wouldn’t be using any of it.
Feeling dreadful, I broke the news to her and apologized (multiple times over) for my mistake that had caused her so many lost hours. To my surprise, Marlene didn’t mirror my disappointment. Instead, with a sincere smile and bright eyes, she immediately replied, “That’s okay, it’s all worship.”
She didn’t feel loss over all those hours of work “wasted” and she harbored no resentment towards me for being the reason she’d have to start completely over. Instead, she knew that all those hours had been given in worship to her Lord and Master, and to her, more work simply meant more given worship. And as I looked back into her eyes, I saw the fruit of her heart’s perspective. I didn’t see frustration, irritation, or weariness. Instead, there was a radiant, contented woman before me with genuine joy in the knowledge that she had the privilege to once again set about her work for her Beloved Jesus. And how could it be waste when it was spent for Him?
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The direction of soul that Marlene modeled to me that day has had an echoing influence on my life ever since. And in recent months, God has freshly reminded me of it.
Just over a year ago, I came home from living in Haiti where my daily life was challenging and adventurous. I was designing long distance for Set Apart Girl®, but my work was done in the midst of also caring for two precious children, helping with orphan rescues, dealing with power outages and riots in the city, weathering storms and viruses, and many other difficulties of third-world living.
When I moved back home to Colorado, my adventurous life suddenly became very quiet and simple. I now spend my days working from my cozy apartment and sitting behind my computer as I click out designs for this magazine. At times I’ve missed the adventures of Haiti, but God, rich in mercy and goodness, has been teaching me a precious life lesson: that the greatest work we can do is to do the will of the One who calls us, where He calls us, and to what He calls us. Be it dishes or discipling, rescue work or design work, we are to follow the example of Jesus, “to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn. 4:34). And you can trust, that when you serve the Lord in obedience, right where He has called you — no matter the task — then it truly is apart of something epic and impactful that He is doing!
Whether great or small, imagine doing all your tasks today for God up in Heaven. Washing His dishes, caring for His little children, writing His stories, singing His praises, entertaining His house guests… It is not the position or work that is significant, but that it is done for Jesus. He brings the significance. We can never see all that God is doing through each moment of our lives, but all of Scripture testifies that He is always doing far beyond what we can see. Our job is to be faithful and to leave the results to His almighty hands. And I can attest, that there is tremendous joy and purpose that fills your work when you are doing it for Christ, and that in that work, you can bring pleasure and glory to the One who rescued you — the One who is more precious than any other.
