This past week, I've been helping at a Conference for men. The girls, are in charge of the cooking, cleaning, and getting the drinks all ready for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and keeping them filled throughout the day.
As fun it is when you have friends fellowshipping with you while working, there's also a seriousness to it. The laughs and giggles are good, but what about the heart of the matter? When we cook and serve others in the kitchen with friends, we're joyful about it... but what about in the moments when we're tired, sweaty, and running low on energy and sleep?
On our afternoon devotions that one of the girls prepared, we talked about complaining. Sometimes we complain without even realizing it, and sometimes we complain because we want people to know how we feel, and how much work we're doing.
We complain about the little things, like, all the flies in the kitchen, or, how many times we've already cleaned the restrooms. What is our heart in the matter? Even when no one else sees all the hard-work we do, God sees it, and He can see the heart. For instance, I was in charge of making sure that all the drinks we're always filled... most of the preparations for the coffee and such, went on in the back-room, where no one could see me. To be honest with you, I didn't really seem to care. I was in so much of a rush to get the coffee done any way, that I didn't notice that my work... in a way, went unnoticed. No one saw how I make coffee, or even if I made coffee. Now, of course, we'd get a lot of men telling us how grateful they were that we took all this time to prepare some awesome cooked food, and that was great! But, what if they hadn't thanked us? Would we still be serving without complaint?
Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
So, the next time you're in the kitchen cooking meals or serving someone in some way, remember to think of it as service to God! God appreciates a cheerful servants heart! And you know what else? Everyone around you notices a cheerful heart too! ;)
But remember, while serving, don't forget to sit down, at the foot of the cross, and pray and talk to God.
As fun it is when you have friends fellowshipping with you while working, there's also a seriousness to it. The laughs and giggles are good, but what about the heart of the matter? When we cook and serve others in the kitchen with friends, we're joyful about it... but what about in the moments when we're tired, sweaty, and running low on energy and sleep?
On our afternoon devotions that one of the girls prepared, we talked about complaining. Sometimes we complain without even realizing it, and sometimes we complain because we want people to know how we feel, and how much work we're doing.
We complain about the little things, like, all the flies in the kitchen, or, how many times we've already cleaned the restrooms. What is our heart in the matter? Even when no one else sees all the hard-work we do, God sees it, and He can see the heart. For instance, I was in charge of making sure that all the drinks we're always filled... most of the preparations for the coffee and such, went on in the back-room, where no one could see me. To be honest with you, I didn't really seem to care. I was in so much of a rush to get the coffee done any way, that I didn't notice that my work... in a way, went unnoticed. No one saw how I make coffee, or even if I made coffee. Now, of course, we'd get a lot of men telling us how grateful they were that we took all this time to prepare some awesome cooked food, and that was great! But, what if they hadn't thanked us? Would we still be serving without complaint?
Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
So, the next time you're in the kitchen cooking meals or serving someone in some way, remember to think of it as service to God! God appreciates a cheerful servants heart! And you know what else? Everyone around you notices a cheerful heart too! ;)
But remember, while serving, don't forget to sit down, at the foot of the cross, and pray and talk to God.
Thank you for this post, dear Caitlin, and the gentle reminder to have a cheerful heart :) May you have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Caitlin.It CAN be hard at times, can't it? Blessings!
ReplyDeleteYes Sofia, it can be hard, but by God's grace, we get through it. :) Thanks for commenting!
DeleteAmen, Caitlin. Thank you SO much for that--It was very thought provoking. And the quote at the end is so true.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a blessing to work with you this week. :)
~Julie
Thanks Jubilee! ;) Likewise, I loved working with you!!!
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