| Colossians 3:23 – “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” |
My siblings and I were not always the most obedient children. On Saturdays, our father was often at work and our mother would go to town for a few hours to run some errands and get groceries. She would leave a list of things she wanted us to do around the house before she got back. Each of us was assigned to a particular duty such as vacuuming the living room or cleaning the kitchen. But it did not take us many weeks to learn that we could put off our chores for at least an hour and still have them done before Mom got home. In fact, we could actually see her car while it was still far away, and it took some time for her to drive down the long driveway and start to unload the groceries. We invented a game called “Mom’s coming down the driveway!” and once one of us spotted her car, we would rush frantically around and clean, and then pretend to be relaxing once she came in the house. Of course, spending just one or two minutes cleaning the bathroom was certainly not doing a good job of it, especially since it was the only bathroom for seven people! But we thought we were being very clever pulling the wool over mom’s eyes. Yes, the chores got done but we certainly did not use our best efforts. Mom never did complain, and I think secretly she admired our creativity.
As I got older, however, I could not help but feel a bit guilty. We worked hard when she was present but then slacked off when she was away. I was not living true to what she had been teaching about hard work and integrity. Eventually we confessed, and all got a good laugh about it. But we are to respect those in authority and to work hard, even if they are not around to see our efforts. We are diligent in our work for the Lord; we should be the same in our work for others.
Prayer: Father, it is so easy for me to not do my best in my work when no one is watching. Help me to remember to respect those in authority, and to do my work as if it was being given to you. Because in reality, all that I do is for you. Even if no one knows that I am slacking in my work, you do. Thank you for the reminder to be conscientious in all that I do. Amen
– Betty Gossell
