Judy Lentz     WORKING FOR THE LORD

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-25

When I began my professional career, I would often talk about the ‘day when I retire’. Dreams were created about what retirement might feel like. Bucket lists were created listing all the places I wanted to go and the things I wanted to see when time allowed. As I neared the normally accepted age of retirement, I found myself thinking of retirement in a very different way.

 I would say to people “the closer I got to retirement age, the less I wanted to retire because I was enjoying my professional career more and more.” It had taken many years to gain the knowledge and experience to feel confident and assured. During those years, I was maturing in my spiritual journey ultimately recognizing that the ‘work’ I was doing was not serving others, I was serving the Lord! I had always worked with all of my heart, but my purpose was miss-directed. I was focused more on achieving earthly goals, like money, recognition, etc.

I formally retired four years ago – since that time, I have come to recognize the real purpose of the work of my lifetime. I had been given talents by the Lord to be used in serving Him. He has rewarded me in so many ways – love, compassion, gratitude, humility to name just a few. May the ‘work’ that I do as a volunteer today always be Christ-led to return to Him what he has already given me.

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father – you have generously blessed me with gifts. May I never forget ‘who I am’ and ‘whose I am’. As I serve others, may I never forget I am serving you. In the name of Jesus, Amen.