I don’t have classes today. Praise the Lord.
The semester is winding down, I know that, but it feels like every day is such a chore. I’ve been counting down the weeks for, well, weeks, and now I’m down to days. I’m so ready.
For my fellow collegiates, I sense you feel my pain.
But really, I think we can all relate to this count-down mentality. I certainly do it all the time; what about you?
On Monday, we count the days till the weekend. Or, we countdown for the next holiday, next day off, next vacation. And remember snow days? Oh, they were the best– I think waking up to freshly fallen snow and that “no school” phone call will always make me smile fondly, even if I don’t get snow days anymore.
And most of us don’t, do we? Most of us don’t have that child-like glee anymore either.
We clamber along, day after day, week after week, just aching to get to the next bit of respite.
I have a story for you…
When I was eleven, my parents and I drove a cross-country road trip. One of our stops (of course) was the Grand Canyon… in July. Yikes.
The hike was… interesting… to say the least. Walking down the canyon, we all felt like energized adventurers. The way up though…
We didn’t speak, didn’t laugh and smile. Heads down, breaths heaving, we simply walked. You know what our strategy was?
Make it to the next bit of shade.
That’s all we cared about, all we could focus on in the sweltering Arizona heat. Just that next shade spot– take a drink, catch our breath, then continue on until the next one.
We go through life like this sometimes, don’t we? Especially our work life. Empty of delight, we blunder along, just hoping that we make it to the next shady spot.
Friends, this is not how God designed it to be. Work is good, work is godly. After all, God worked, God created, six days before resting on the seventh.
That is our model.
Colossians 3 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (23-24).
I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to joyfully respond to emails and do paperwork.
But, I think changing our mindset is the first step: we are not simply working for ourselves or our bosses, but for our Lord. How amazing is that?
Everything we do, we can use to glorify and serve our Master. What an honor.
Instead of counting down, of crawling along searching for the shade, I’m going to try to enjoy the walk that each day provides. Because God is in each day, and He makes all things good– always and forever, good.
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