Hard work, big rewards
This week can best be defined by hard work! Immediately after coming back form Camino, I went straight back to hectic all day meetings at work while coordinating movers to our new home. This week has been closing out the old home while unpacking and getting settled in the new home. So many boxes to to sort through and decide what we keep versus what needs to find a new home. I am seeing things I haven’t seen in 19 years! It is amazing how much accumulates in life. The results are long days, but a special sense of satisfaction as things begin to come together and our new house begins to feel like a home. God reminds us that “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” (Colossians 3:25, NIV). Fulfillment doesn’t come from the number of boxes unpacked, fulfillment comes from the peace and comfort found in our family coming together in our new home.
God encourages us to work hard but to recognize that fulfillment does not come from these earthly rewards, but the reward and gift of everlasting life from our heavenly Father. The peace that He gives us that defies all understanding, these are our gifts. Rob and I would commonly joke when we would travel to the Billy Graham Training Center in the Cove that you can cue the turkeys, cue the deer-we were always surrounded by wildlife and God’s creations. This is now my home. As the sun begins to fade into the night sky, you can cue the beaver, the herons, the ducks, the jumping fish, and the Canadian geese. In nightly strolls you are likely to encounter our neighborhood herd of deer. God’s creations are everywhere, it quickly reminds me that this is what matters. Hard work that results in spending time with God, appreciating all He created and recognizing the blessings in my life. Those blessings are not from monies earned, titles received, but from the peace, love, and comfort that is felt every moment in a loving home.
This is what came front of mind during and after the hike on El Camino. Maybe you have felt it too, the consumption and obsession that comes from the everyday chaos of life. The non stop hustle that is required to stay in front of all the deliverables and expectations at work, the constant need and pressure to be all things for all people and somehow losing self in the process. On the Camino, none of that was present. It was one foot in front of the other, and the time was consumed in complete appreciation of everything God created. I came home to find that place. My days are no longer consumed by all the chaos, instead they are grounded in these gifts we have from God.
Today, I pray that you find that peace. I pray you seek the comfort that can be uniquely found when surrounded by all that God created. I pray that you enjoy God’s reward at the end of those hard days and weeks of hard work.
I pray these words spoke to you, please share with a friend. Don’t miss a blog post, subscribe to my web page.
