Worth Doing

I had a rather rare night at work where I was reminded of something that I think I often neglect. Namely my position as a working man, and what my attitude should be regarding it. In the sixth chapter of The Incomparable Christ, J. Oswald Sanders says:

"It is a challenging thought, and one that should be closely observed by those who are preparing for a life of service for God, that our divine Lord spent six times as long working at the carpenter's bench as he did in his world-shaping ministry. He did not shrink the hidden years of preparation."

From Jesus' example, he goes on to draw a few conclusions. First, it showed that Jesus identified with common, working class people, a fact that would continue to play out in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Christ also worked hard as an example of how we should labor for the Father's glory. He drew on his experience from his earthly occupation in his ministry. His mentioning of the "easy yoke" was a possible reflection on this. Finally, he used this time of earthly training to build up stamina for his later ministry. From we have recorded in the gospels, he traveled at least 2500 miles on foot over three years, not counting the mental and spiritual strain. His long hours as a carpenter prepared him for what came next.

As far as my own work goes, last night I was reminded that I have an opportunity to minister to people in subtle ways. There was a lady and her husband who live in the independent units on the campus of the assisted living facility I work for. She is very weak after battling cancer for many years and he is too frail to help her up. I got to bring comfort by helping her to bed twice in one night. She cried each time, and hugged me close while her husband just smiled and said "She just wants a little loving, you know?" Now, my job isn't rocket science. It's not overly hard (other than being away from my wife two/three nights a week), but it does get rather monotonous. It more of a mental battle to stay away and diligent. Sometimes it's easy to forget Colossians 3:17 : that in "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I want to be more grateful for the things I take for granted. Hopefully, this is a good first step.