Sweet Sunday: Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for men."

Colossians 3:23

Although this is one of my very favorite verses in the bible,  hearing it this morning in church it really hit me upside the head.

As our pastor discussed "working for the Lord", I began to think about it's application to my life. Our pastor brought out 3 points that we could do to better embrace all the work we do in our lives. Oh how perfectly timed this was. I just can't get enough.

1. Wherever you are, embrace it, because God is always working.

For a lot of people, this is applied to the job they're in. Whether it is being a mom, planting corn, or saving lives, the message was to thank the Lord for putting you in that position.

But, I have to admit, as a college student with only a part-time job, it came across in a different light to me. As I've admitted before, I'm a "Type A" personality and I feel the need to be prepared, be organized, be ready and always thinking about the future.

Being prepared for the future is great, but here's the deal: we're not in the future, we're in the present. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don't know what the future holds, and all too often I miss what's happening in the present. God is always working. He's always working to prepare me for the future.

Yes, I want to think about graduate school, and be excited to graduate and ready to start my life outside of college - but in doing so I'm missing my final days at Tech. Wherever you are, embrace it.

I couldn't help it. I had to post my awesome senior picture, taken by Khaki Scrivner - thanks a million!

2. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.

This of course relates back to the verse in Colossians. All too often I forget that my actions reflect the work of the Lord.

It's true that the Lord deserves nothing but excellence. If I'm working for the Lord, I need to "strive for excellence". (How perfect is it that this is the Texas Tech motto!?) In everything I do, I should strive to better the kingdom of the Lord. 

Studying for my Horse Production test is a stretch - but hey, that's what prayer is for, right?

Just keep studying, just keep studying. Thanks Khaki for giving me hope to remember why I need to study! 20 days left....

3. Wherever you are, and whatever you do, find the eternal value in it.

This one I feel is the most difficult task to assess. Studying for a test, changing a diaper, driving a tractor, grading papers, all these are tasks that may not feel like have eternal value.

So what's the plan? Stop looking for the meaning in what we do, and start taking the meaning to what we do.

Yeah, I told you this one was a good one. 

Just for today I will work for the Lord. Just for today I will find purpose in my actions. Then, I will do it tomorrow. Then, I will do it the next day. 21 days develops a habit, and it's time to start.