“Few of you were wise or powerful or wealthy when God called
you." ~ 1 Corinthians 1:26
Naomi was poised to give the most
important speech of her career. It
wasn’t every day that one got the privilege of delivering the Commencement
Address at their Alma Matter.
She felt special today – deeply satisfied by all she’d accomplished.
A single Mom from Chicago’s inner city, she worked two
shifts to send her kids to school. Naomi
worked hard, eventually earning admission to this college. Upon graduation, she joined a large retailer
as a summer intern. Diligence, passion,
and determination eventually paid-off when she became the company’s first
female CEO.
Her speech would be straightforward, crafted with clarity
and precision; painting simple pictures with strong subtexts. She’d rehearsed the text so as to allow
freedom to look around and build rapport with the graduates. Her practiced use of pitch and rhythm would
surely move the listeners’ hearts and minds.
A cheerful man greeted her upon arrival at the
auditorium. Naomi sat down in the back
row to review her notes and absorb the enormity of this day.
The man busily went about checking the microphone and
adjusting the stage lights. Taking a
broom and dustpan, he then proceeded to sweep the floor before the crowd
arrived.
As Naomi watched the
man, a question came to mind. “Lord?”
she wondered. “Who’s more valuable today for this program, him or me?
As she pondered the question, the answer became clear – “Neither!”
They had equal value, just different
functions. Which prompted a second
question: “Lord, who is most pleasing to You?”
Its answer came quicker than the first. “The one who does this with the greatest amount
of love in their heart for God.”
Sometimes we confuse value and function. We don’t get value from what we do; we bring
value to our work. Each individual has
intrinsic value before God.
We also make the mistake of trying to win the Lord’s
approval by how we perform our jobs. People-pleasers never end up as God-pleasers. It’s never the height or even the breadth of
our task, but the depth of our love motivating us to serve that catches God’s
eye. It is not how we serve, but why,
that gets His attention.
Those who serve in the shadows in roles that don’t bring much
public adulation just may be God’s heroes.
Remember there aren’t many wise, mighty, or noble. The next time you walk past one setting up
chairs in your Church without taking notice, you may have missed an opportunity
to interact with one of God’s chosen servants.
That day, when Naomi spoke in that auditorium, the most
honored servant may not have been the one speaking to the crowd … but the one
sweeping the floor.
Heavenly Father, forgive us for falling so
short in loving You like you deserve, and thank You for covering this grievous
sin by the precious blood of Jesus. Give us the grace to love You, your Son,
and your Holy Spirit with all our hearts.
Amen
