One evening I was lamenting that I’d not accomplished anything that day. My granddaughter asked, “What would you have to do to feel like you accomplished something?”
Great question. It has been on my mind ever since.
I come from a family of achievers. My father worked hard. His only complaint was about people in the community that were lazy, slept in, didn’t pull their share, or live up to their potential. From that we learned that the way to please our dad was by having his work ethic.
Of course this was largely an unconscious motivation on our part, but my two brothers, my sister, and I have worked hard all our lives. Also, I’ve been aware for some time that this attitude of trying to please our father easily transfers to trying to please our heavenly Father. However, I also know that as a sinner, there is nothing in me that can please God. Only by faith in Christ and by the work of His Spirit in me is it possible to even begin following and obeying Him.
Thinking about granddaughter’s question, I knew I was past that whole idea of trying to please my father or impress my heavenly Father. The answer could be that I feel I’ve done something only when there are check marks beside everything on my to-do list, but I decided that is not it either.
Instead, I’m considering that it has more to do with who I am. This morning’s devotional reading takes me in that direction. The verse is from Psalm 45, “The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors . . . .”
The comments about this verse indicate that this gold clothing is not the garment of righteousness that God gives to His sons and daughters, but a garment that God weaves throughout our lives. He uses events, trials, blessings, His Word, the power of Christ living in me, and so on, as embroidery threads to display His glory in me—and this requires my cooperation.
As soon as I read this I understood what makes me feel as if I have accomplished something. That sense of satisfaction comes when God has blessed me with a new way of thinking, a new attitude, a change in my life that makes me more like Jesus.
After all, this is His goal for me. Romans 8:28-29 says He uses all things together for my good that I might be transformed into His likeness. 1 John 3 says, “We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him . . . .”
Being like Jesus is the only really important goal that I have. Should a day go by and I am the same old same old, it doesn’t matter how much ‘stuff’ got done; I still feel as if I’ve not accomplished anything. What matters is becoming just a little closer to my destiny than I was the day before.
3 comments:
Hi Elsie, I just caught up on your blog. It's inspiring and I'm so impressed that you are "daily" with it. I wanted to email you, but I didn't see an email address on your site. I enjoyed class Sunday and have been meditating on it since. Question! You mentioned that you read the Bible for 16 years before you became a Christian. I know the obvious answer is the Holy Spirit was drawing you, but I'm curious about the less spiritual answer. Were you seeking?, just doing what you thought you were supposed to be doing?, trying to earn points? I have been wondering about this and hope you'll clue me in. 16 years is a long time to do something and not get a lot out of it. Just wondering. :-)
Hi Val
You are right - 16 years is a long time. Smart but not very wise (see post today - sigh). My mother read her Bible every day and I thought this was something a woman was supposed to do, so I started at age 13. It was a ritual, so I could 'check it off' my to-do list. It was only when I started wondering about something my dad said about matter never being destroyed but changed to a different form that I started to wonder what would happen to me after I died. I was reading a book on reincarnation (yikes) when God revealed to me the identity of His Son. From that point, the Bible came alive!
Oh, about Sunday. I used a poor word choice. I should have said "negative" emotions, not "sinful" and am glad you asked for clarification.
big blessings today! hugs, elsie
Thanks for the insight. I've done lots trivial things because I thought it was what women were supposed to do. I can understand that. Certainly Bible reading isn't trivial, but I can understand the motive of doing it just because "you're supposed to."
Valerie
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