So, I was reading through my devotionals this morning and it just so happened to be about doing your work wholeheartedly. The bible verse they gave was Eph. 6:6-7 -

⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are
watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with
all your heart.
⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for
the Lord rather than for people.

The reason this stuck out to me so much was that I have been struggling to enjoy my work and understand why I am there. I have had no doubts that God placed me there. The whole thing was surreal, and fast. Since I've been there they haven't hired anyone as fast as me. There is no other way that I could have been hired there with the benefits they offered me. It was a God thing.

One of my previous posts touched on the fact that I am learning my purpose for being at this job- I was given the word Patience. Now I am understanding that not only should I have patience, but while I am working at this place I need to be enthusiastic, happy, as if I was doing all of my daily duties for the Lord, rather than my boss or my customers.

Let me give you an idea of where my thoughts have been lately:
I have been thinking that the ideal job would be doing missionary work, or working for the church- some "real" godly work, not some office place sitting on my fanny helping people with computer problems. I had a hard time trying to figure out why people, more in general- christian people, could stand having these office jobs when they knew of the mission fields, and the lost, etc that needed so much help. I was focused on the idea that in order to be happy, and to make God happy, one should be doing such work where they were saving souls and sharing the word.

Darlene Sala wrote "Sometimes it's hard to think you're working for the Lord when you're changing a baby's diaper, or shopping at the market, or planning the sales event for the company where you work. Yet in doing the mundane, ordinary tasks, it's your attitude that makes all the difference in the world". This was my wake-up call. After reading this I hit smack-dab, into a brick wall at full speed. I was confronted with one of the reasons why I must be at my work, surrounded by people who mock Christianity and always asking if I was one of those "religious people". This whole time I have been admitting to them that I am a Christian, yet staying in the safety zone by not saying anything when they were talking 'smack' and being rather crude around me.

I think it's time for me to step up to the plate, get out of my safety-zone and be ready to get uncomfortable so that I can have the guts to admit it when they are making lude comments, maybe someday they will see something different in me that they don't have. Maybe they will someday want that missing piece. Maybe they will even trust me enough and want to learn more about what makes me tick and why I am so different than they are. Honestly, I don't think I have shown myself to be that incredibly different than they.

This morning was my wake up call and I am going to take it.

Blessings and Darkness

"Every blessing you pour out,
I'll turn back to praise...
When the darkness closes in Lord,
Still I will say- Blessed be the name of the Lord"

This song opened my eyes and reminded me that we need to recognize the blessings that God gives us, no matter how small they may seem. We should be honored and humbled by the fact that He loves us so much and cares about all aspects of our lives to give us such blessings. Remember all that He has done for you, especially in your "dark" times. When everything seems to be going wrong, think about the time that miraculously all your bills were paid, or that one prayer was answered. Just remembering those blessings can pull you through your hard times and keep God in perspective.

Whenever you receive a blessing from God, take the time to exclaim your thanks to Him, praise Him back. We were made to please Him and worship Him. Why not thank Him when He does such awesome things for us? Just stopping for a moment and saying a simple prayer, or worshiping in your car on the way to work, or simply saying "Thank you Lord for giving me another blessing" as your are walking down the street, or even doing dishes will suffice. The Lord is amazing and loves it when we talk to Him and include Him in our lives. Being a "Christian" doesn't mean just going to church or owning a Bible. It means that we have a relationship with God, we talk to Him, spend time with Him and get to know Him.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far
more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4: 6-7

Patience...

Tonight I learned one word that should take precedence over my life right now. That word is Patience. I need patience at work, in my personal life, with my friends and family, and with myself. I need to learn that just because things aren't going exactly as I had envisioned, or they aren' t just as I had hoped, that God sees the WHOLE picture- from beginning to end. I need to trust the one person who is in control, who can see the whole picture, the one who paints that picture. He knows what is best for me, and just as a parent wants the best for their child, He wants the best for me. He's watching my back and teaching me new lessons at the same time.

I pray that throughout these coming weeks, as new trials are placed on my plate, that I may learn to be patient, and take from these experiences what God wants me to learn. I need to be a God sponge- soak it up! (random, but makes a good picture)

Thank you Lord for caring enough about me to take the time to teach me how to become more like you.