Do it as unto the Lord

Every day I drive to and from work along Victoria Park, in this small business area just south of Denison, there is this hardwood floor store. Outside of this hardwood flooring store is this guy who stands at the curb, holding his big signs about how the flooring is really cheap. The first few times I saw him, I thought to myself, man that is one sucky job. Sometimes I've seen people in costumes at the curb when Dominoe's has pizza sales, and I've thought the same thing. Those times it was some teenager doing it, probably earning a few extra dollars. 

This time however it was a grown man doing it. I wonder if he's the one who owns the store. And after the first few times I saw him, I realized he wasn't just doing this for a one-time sale. He was there every single day on the commute to and from AFC. He's quite passionate about it too. Or at least it seems like it. He's very animated in his hand gestures, motioning people to come in. Heck, if I needed hardwood flooring I would check this place out! 

This guy really seemed to enjoy his job. Even though it wasn't the best job, or the most interesting. He seemed to really put his heart into it.

Another time I was at Holt Renfrew at Yonge and Bloor. A well-dressed gentleman opened up the door for my friends and I. He was dressed in a pinstriped suit, welcomed us warmly and did the same for all the customers. I thought to myself, I wonder how much he gets paid to do that job. Maybe if I got paid $20 an hour I would welcome people warmly into Holts too.

A friend of mine who worked mentioned how nice that guy was at the door. She then told us that he was just doing it voluntarily. He actually owned some high-end restaurants in Toronto, and he just happened to enjoy greeting people at Holts. He did it purely "for fun". 

These individuals really make me reflect on how I do my work. Would I do it for free? Would I do it the same way if no one were watching?

Would you?

Then I remember our Pastor reminding us in one of his sermons to always "do it as unto the Lord". Whether you are doing work for yourself, with no one watching, or with everyone watching, you should do it as unto the Lord. When I consider this, it totally revolutionizes the way you approach your work and how you do it. 

Those two guys mentioned before, I don't know fully who they're working for or their motives, but they remind me that I need to do strive towards excellence. They remind me to do my best even when no one is watching. And ultimately, they remind me to do it as unto the Lord. 

*rebecca

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"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Col. 3:23 NLT

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I used to have this roommate who doesn't clean up after himself or do any housework. I dreaded walking through the kitchen and living area just because I knew there would be junk lying around everywhere, cobwebs on the ceiling, dirty dishes in the sink and expired takeout containers in the fridge. I remember so many occasions where I was cleaning and he'd sit on the couch reading magazines and lift his feet when I'd sweep the floor near him. I couldn't believe he wouldn't help me and I began to grow bitter. For a while, I'd be upset about him each time I cleaned and hold it together at all other times and put on a smile and live joyfully in the Lord.

I realized that it's not possible to be bitter about one thing and still be in Christ for everything else. My bitterness towards cleaning spilled over to the rest of my life and ate away at me slowly. Because I wrote off one person as lazy and inconsiderate, I began to label and judge other people.

So often, we complain and complain about not getting what we want or the bad situations we're in, thinking 'woe is me' and then wonder why we don't feel peace when we finally come before God.

I believe God uses the not-so-enjoyable tasks in life to tell us a story about the state of our relationship with Him. Some are able to genuinely find peace in any situation while others, when doing the not-so-fun things, suddenly experience the consequences of the lack of reconciliation in their lives.

'Do all things without complaining or arguing
that you might be blameless and harmless
children of God in this crooked and perverse generation
among whom you SHINE as lights in this world...' -PHI 2

*sam

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Pray for TC!

This week please pray for coaches! We have 48 teams altogether for jr and sr and each team needs two coaches. Right now each team has one coach, a handful have two coaches, and 7 jr teams do not have a coach at all. If you do the math, that means we need a lot more coaches! Let's continue praying that God will provide willing and able people who can help coach!