How do you know if it is worthwhile?

Recently someone asked me if I had been paid for something I did for another person. When I replied in the negative, they acted surprised. Their response indicated I was wasting my time because I wasn’t generating income.

It made me wonder…

Are the things we do only valuable if we are paid to do them?

That seems to be the world’s message.

I would like to make a case for the opposite.

When you were a child did your parents ever hang your artwork on the refrigerator? Or, if you are a parent, do you ever hang your children’s art around the house? Why? In most cases, it’s not because the art is museum worthy, at least not to someone else. But in the eyes of a mom, almost every line scribbled from her child’s hand is beautiful. Even more touching are the pictures drawn specifically for Mommy.

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You couldn’t pay me to give away one of my children’s pictures. I display them not only on my refrigerator, but on every household surface to which a magnet sticks. Why? Because the works of my children are precious and priceless.

How much more precious, then, are the things we do in service to God?

I’m not only talking about big, huge press-worthy activities. I’m thinking of the little things we do in life:

  • The hugs or listening ear you give to a friend in need.
  • The mission trip you take.
  • The prayers you offer on someone’s behalf.
  • The money/time/talent you quietly donate.
  • The dishes you wash in the kitchen during a meeting.
  • The trash you pick up on a neighbor’s lawn even though they will never know you helped them.
  • The times you share the hope and love of Jesus with others without even saying a word.
  • The times you offered grace and kindness to someone who didn’t deserve it.
  • The diapers you change as a mom, and the hugs you give to your children as they grow, demonstrating by action the love of Jesus.
  • The fact that you gave up doing ______ because you wanted to be with your children.
  • The anything you do because you love the Lord.

Like the way an earthly mother views and displays her child’s artwork, I wonder if God has a giant Heavenly refrigerator where he hangs the little scribbles and service acts we offer Him.

Perhaps he hangs them around his throne, too — like I do with the artwork around my house —  so that His heart is touched and warmed by every glance. Or maybe, he has millions of scrapbooks full of our offerings, and asks every angel who stops by to see what His child did.

Like a parent awed by their child’s crayon creation, maybe He remarks: “Isn’t it beautiful? I’m going to keep it forever.”

So, the next time you wonder if what you are doing is worthwhile, think about it from the eternal perspective. <– Click to tweet.

For further study, see You are Worthy, one of the More to Be Truth & Topics downloads.

1 thought on “How do you know if it is worthwhile?”

  1. Pingback: JenniferDyer.net » Enduring defeat.

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