As Easter is fast approaching, we often think of the cross … that heavy, splintered, hand-crafted, wooden cross … that was made from a tree and of which Jesus had to carry to His place of execution.
The cross overall weighed approx. 300 pounds. So, if He was carrying the crossbeam, he would have been lugging approx. 100 pounds, and if he was carrying the main post, it was approximately 200 pounds. He had to carry it up the hill to Golgatha (Calvary) after He had just been beaten (scourged) with lead-or-bone-ladened leather straps designed to cause serious damage to the flesh.
So, I got to thinking about the person who was assigned the duty of constructing and fashioning that wooden cross for Jesus. Did he know who he was constructing it for? Did he know that Jesus would hang on it that day?
Do we give extra thought and attention to the work we do in our everyday living? Do we consider whose lives we are affecting through our work? Do we stop to realize whose lives we are ultimately impacting as we go about our day? When we work, we work for “someone,” perhaps even for ourselves as our own business. However, it usually involves some type of service we are providing to others. But the Bible tells us it is the Lord we are serving:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24
I read something the other day where someone had written that they hated what they did for a living, but that they still did it to the best of their ability. I got to thinking, “Isn’t that really what God expects of each of us in our daily work, no matter what we do?”
Many of us often have duties we don’t always enjoy doing. I remember once being given a project by my boss that I didn’t have a clue how to complete. It had to do with graphing out something on a computer that I’d never done before. I thought, “Seriously, I don’t know how to do that!” The computers were fairly new back then and I was lucky to get a decent letter sent off! Lol! I considered calling in sick the next day to avoid dealing with the issue, but realized I couldn’t call in sick forever! So, I went in, figured out how to complete the task, and did it to the best of my ability. The project turned out well, and my boss was pleased.
Likewise, however, God wants us to do all of our work and duties as if we are doing it for Him to the best of our ability. He will be pleased and will reward us for our efforts. God has placed us where He wants us, and we should strive to do our best, remembering “who” we are really doing our work for.
As we are nearing Easter Sunday this month, may we stop to think about the wooden cross and our own work, and realize daily “who” we are actually doing the work for and the lives impacted by the results of our work. No matter what we do in life … whether in business or pleasure … let us do it with all our heart as working for the Lord.
The above poem stanzas are from my poem “The Wooden Cross,” which you can read in its entirety in my book, “The Fingers of God,” which can be found online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as this website.
The background photo to the poem is by: Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash