Titus 2:7
And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
A fellow church member phoned me this week and asked if I would help with a sewing project for one of our local ministries. I questioned her about the details to make sure this was something I could handle. It involved recovering some chair cushions. My friend asked, “Couldn’t we just wrap the new fabric around the cushions and staple them?” I told her we could do this… but 1) it would not look nice, and 2) it would not hold up to the wear and tear these cushions will receive. When she brought me the cushions and fabric, she stressed that… “This does not have to look good.” Her words said one thing, but I also knew that she and the others working on redecorating a room for this ministry were anxious for everything to have a pretty appearance.
I won’t say that I am particularly proud of the finished result… but I know I did my very best to make the cushions look nice. I am a “details person,” and yes, I can be picky. But I also know that anything worth doing is worth doing right… as “old-fashioned” and trite as that may sound. So I try to always be respectful of whatever task I have been given… even those that seem mundane or insignificant. By the same token, I always try to be respectful of others, regardless of who they are or how they have treated me in return.
Consider this…suppose that God did not show respect for you. Certainly He would be justified. We are not worthy of God’s respect. When it comes to caring for us when we are in need, He might just as well “throw a piece of fabric over us and staple us together”! We truly don’t deserve more meticulous attention! And as for how He treats us in general… by all rights, He should do everything possible to embarrass, demean and disgrace us. We are in no way/shape/form worthy of God’s respect. And yet, He offers us this with love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. He treats us like precious jewels… even when we act like a dirty pile of trash.
Today, I want you to think about how God treats you… and how you treat Him in return. More than this, I want you to think about how you treat others… and how you handle your words and actions – and your daily activities. Are you respectful toward others? Do you treat even the most mundane activities with care and give them the attention that you should? Do your words demonstrate respect – for God and for all He has created? Do you realize that others are watching – and noticing – how you treat your relationships with God and those around you? Do you fully get it that others notice whether you give a task 100% of your effort… or treat it with disregard and contempt? Does it compute with you that everything you say and do is a reflection of your true bond with God… and it could make the difference not only in how you are treated, but whether or not the other guy wants a relationship with God for himself?
So many things in life are “only a chair cushion”… but how we handle them is immeasurably significant. Are you respectful of God and the life with which He has blessed you? What sort of example are you setting for His Kingdom? Is there seriousness in your model of Christian discipleship? Are you “teaching” others anything that they would truly want to experience for themselves? Isn’t this a good day to start making any necessary adjustments?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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