- Jun 27, 2003
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Making a Difference
My friend Pat has been a nurse for many years. She works for an agency that provides care for people who have terminal illnesses, whose life expectancy is less than six months. A gentle and warmhearted woman, as well as a skilled nurse, Pat is well-equipped for the very special kind of work she does.
One day Pat was telling me that she was having a difficult time making a choice between her job and some other factors in her life. One of the options she felt forced to consider was quitting her job, or changing to another kind of work. "But if I stop doing this," she said, "who will take care of these dying people?"
Pat has a clear sense of the importance of the work she does. She knows that caring for sick, dying people is not something everyone is willing or able to do. She knows she is needed. Not every job is as clearly valuable and as inherently rewarding as Pat's. Many people in the working world have a hard time seeing the value of what they do. They know they receive their paychecks in return for their work; at the same time, though, they hope for some sense of satisfaction, some knowledge that all of their time and effort amounts to more than just a dollar figure, however needed that may be. They want their work to be a contribution - a part, however small, of something meaningful.
The Bible assures us that the work we do as Christians - no matter what it is - is meaningful. The Bible begins with an act of working. The book of Genesis tells us God created the world. He worked to bring it into being. He created it with love and purpose, giving us a model for our own work.
Each of us as a working person creates something each day. Whether we type a letter, draft a plan, or make a sale, we bring something into being that wasn't there before. That something may be tangible, like an article for a newspaper, or a customer's bill, or a report we've worked on for weeks. Or it may be intangible: a new relationship with a co-worker or customer; a new way of handling invoices; a new action plan, developed after long hours of meetings with other staff members; or a series of decisions that will affect many people. Whatever we create, because our lives are consecrated to God, our work is consecrated too.
But the product of our work isn't the only important part. The process of working bears fruit, too. We have an impact on the lives of other people as we interact with them in the course of our jobs. We influence those around us by the quality of the work we do and the way we live our workday lives. We exercise the skills and talents God has given us. We have the opportunity to put His commandments and His love into action in a setting where, for the most part, He is not recognized or known. We face new situations every day that challenge our Christian values, our self-control, our creativity, and our compassion; and out of the challenges we grow stronger and more mature.
God has called us to be His. Because we are His, our work is His too. Through our work we have the chance to create something in His name, and then to say, "It is good."
Author Unknown
Submitted by Richard
My friend Pat has been a nurse for many years. She works for an agency that provides care for people who have terminal illnesses, whose life expectancy is less than six months. A gentle and warmhearted woman, as well as a skilled nurse, Pat is well-equipped for the very special kind of work she does.
One day Pat was telling me that she was having a difficult time making a choice between her job and some other factors in her life. One of the options she felt forced to consider was quitting her job, or changing to another kind of work. "But if I stop doing this," she said, "who will take care of these dying people?"
Pat has a clear sense of the importance of the work she does. She knows that caring for sick, dying people is not something everyone is willing or able to do. She knows she is needed. Not every job is as clearly valuable and as inherently rewarding as Pat's. Many people in the working world have a hard time seeing the value of what they do. They know they receive their paychecks in return for their work; at the same time, though, they hope for some sense of satisfaction, some knowledge that all of their time and effort amounts to more than just a dollar figure, however needed that may be. They want their work to be a contribution - a part, however small, of something meaningful.
The Bible assures us that the work we do as Christians - no matter what it is - is meaningful. The Bible begins with an act of working. The book of Genesis tells us God created the world. He worked to bring it into being. He created it with love and purpose, giving us a model for our own work.
Each of us as a working person creates something each day. Whether we type a letter, draft a plan, or make a sale, we bring something into being that wasn't there before. That something may be tangible, like an article for a newspaper, or a customer's bill, or a report we've worked on for weeks. Or it may be intangible: a new relationship with a co-worker or customer; a new way of handling invoices; a new action plan, developed after long hours of meetings with other staff members; or a series of decisions that will affect many people. Whatever we create, because our lives are consecrated to God, our work is consecrated too.
But the product of our work isn't the only important part. The process of working bears fruit, too. We have an impact on the lives of other people as we interact with them in the course of our jobs. We influence those around us by the quality of the work we do and the way we live our workday lives. We exercise the skills and talents God has given us. We have the opportunity to put His commandments and His love into action in a setting where, for the most part, He is not recognized or known. We face new situations every day that challenge our Christian values, our self-control, our creativity, and our compassion; and out of the challenges we grow stronger and more mature.
God has called us to be His. Because we are His, our work is His too. Through our work we have the chance to create something in His name, and then to say, "It is good."
Author Unknown
Submitted by Richard
Actually the page turned to devotionals all on it's own 
go figger 
