What I am Learning

There is a tradition at our church that at the beginning of each month we celebrate all the birthdays and give the birthday people a chance to tell what they have learned, or what God is doing in their lives. For some strange reason they always skip November so I don’t ever get a chance to say anything. But I did give it a lot of thought just in case. And since my birthday comes at the end of the year I tend to be in a more thoughtful frame of mind anyway, and I do think about how my year has been, and what I see for myself in the future. I think about things I’ve learned, things I still struggle with, my hopes and goals; I guess you could say I do a personal inventory of my life, with both the good and the bad, and see where changes need to be made. It is a good time to reflect on what I believe God is teaching me.

I think the biggest thing I am learning, or dealing with, is that life isn’t fair, and people aren’t going to treat you fairly. You might be doing more than anyone else, but get nothing in return. There might be others who do next to nothing, but they are the ones who get recognition, some kind of rewards, or special treatment. It’s been a very tough month in that respect. I think it’s true that the more we do for people, the less important it becomes to them. Sometimes we need to search our hearts, and reevaluate what our motives are, and see if it’s really worth it.

For me personally, it is a constant struggle to remind myself that I do what I do to serve the Lord. I do it without asking anything in return, and so I should expect nothing in return. I need to remember this always, and ask myself, “Do I want rewards now, or rewards later?” Interestingly, someone from church sent me a little devotional this morning. And I have to say that it came at the best time. Because on one hand, it confirms what I know to be true, that people won’t treat us fairly. And on the other hand, this is what we must expect until we get to heaven. So I just have to accept it and deal with it. But that is hard to do.

I am looking forward to a song that Ryan will be writing about this topic. It should be pretty dang epic.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.