The Lawson house is now undergoing its first major project since we moved in. When you move, Lowes Hardware is kind enough to mail you a 10% off coupon, so Lindsey and I took the truck to Lowes and loaded it with fence post and wire fencing so we could fence in our backyard. We even bought us a couple pairs of gloves so we could look like we knew what we were doing!
I don’t know about you but I get bored real quick when it comes to manual labor, so in order to keep me focused, I have to make it into a game. So I started timing myself to see how fast I could dig down 2 feet. I’m glad no one was around to see that sight, but I was dancing around that hole and slamming that post-hole digger down into that open ground as fast as I could. My heart was beating a million times an second and sweat was rolling down my face. As soon as I could catch my breath I was racing to dig the next hole. By the end I was getting pretty consistent with my time and my record was set at 2 minutes 22 seconds. (If you think you can beat that, come on over and I’ll show you where the next post needs to be set!)
That night I sat in a chair and watched my blistered hands shake. My back was bent in a question mark and I could not move my arms. Those are the undeniable signs that someone, who is out of shape, has done work!
Galatians 6:17 says, “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.” Paul, had just been talking about bearing one another’s burdens and how we are to not lose heart in doing good. How often do we fall out at the end of the day, our hands blistered, our backs aching and our bodies marked because we have been bearing someone else’s burden? When was the last time that we gave until it hurt? When was the last time we served a stranger even if it was politically incorrect?
It’s fun to go on a mission trip for a week each summer. When we get home we put Neosporin on our cuts or scrapes and send our dirty, tattered clothing to GoodWill. We celebrate with those on the team and make scrapbooks out of all the photos. Then often times we begin to rest the next 51 weeks so we will be ready to go again the next summer.
The truth of the matter is, if we were to do mission work every week of the year, we would wear out! Our cuts wouldn’t heal, they might turn into scars! Our hands might get stained and our faces marred! When would we have time to do other things like hanging out with friends or playing the back 9? If we did missions all the time, we might start looking dirty, all our good clothes filthy and torn. At the end of the day, we might sit there looking at our blistered hands and feel the throb of a tired back, but then again we might understand what it means to bear on our body the brand-marks of Jesus.
This week, don’t wait to serve others, everyday is an opportunity and let the joy of the LORD be your strength! (Neh. 8:10)
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