“Every time I see her she makes me think about Jesus.”

I imagine it said in all sorts of ways. I don’t care how. To be so associated with Jesus that one can’t think of me without being reminded of Him, that is what I hope.

Phillipians 3:13-14

• Walks
• Clouds
• How the clouds declare God’s glory
• Toddler giggles
• New pens
• Church
• Fresh air
• Clean sheets
• Puzzles, especially with company
• Babies
• Reading
• Daydreaming
• Nature-watching
• Hearing the creativity of God in the calls and cries of His creatures
• Mushrooms
• Helping
• Breeze
• Organization
• Early mornings
• Quiet
• The sound the pages of my Bible make when I turn them
• Simplicity
• Laughing at myself
• Listening to calm music
• Hearing a child say “oh I get it!” — whatever they’ve “gotten”
• Watching the sky slowly change colors in the evening
• Hope
• Thinking
• For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:3-7)

That’s only 29 but that’s more than enough.

God is good.

I do it already. This prompt caught my attention because my job is: I raise the people God has loaned me as children. It doesn’t pay. And I would make the choice to stay home and raise them over and over again, because it was a hard choice and one I’ve thought through enough times to know that Yes, despite struggling with my mental health and really enjoying my work prior and questioning my every move I make as a parent… yes. It always ends in yes.

I would argue that whatever vocation you’re undertaking should be one you would do without pay, because God is the Provider. We don’t work for pay, we work for the joy of serving. And this I have believed my entire working career which started out as a full-time breakfast cook at Burger King. I held that position for five years, not as a part time worker but full time as my only source of income. And it was greasy and unthanked and looked down upon, but I was grateful and I enjoyed it. Not because I’m some superhuman, but because I learned early what a blessing it is to work. Watching close family struggle with their inabilities to work has made me grateful. And when you go into your work grateful for the ability to do it, it fundamentally changes your attitude.

For the Christian, there is no “paid” and “unpaid” labor. We are all called to good works, and our vocation is just one of those good works. God is the one who provides.

Thanks for listening. May you be blessed this Holy Saturday.