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christian•devotionals

outcome

February 16, 2021 by mish No Comments

He came in, lugging a huge steam cleaner.  I honestly felt doubtful, wondering if that small stain on my couch would ever come off. 

He moved my furniture, meticulously ensuring I had a towel near the suspecting stain, so the water wouldn’t destroy my rug underneath.  He set out to systematically apply product and then steam clean the area.  Ever so careful and attentive.  

When I asked him whether all the effort he put into cleaning it worked, he made a joke, saying it would be years before the couch would dry and only then would I know the result.  

I should have asked him whether he found that frustrating – doing all this work, and leaving client’s homes not knowing if any of his hard work resulted in a positive outcome. 

As he left, I pondered – isn’t a lot of work like that?  Like the teacher would spends late nights preparing and mulling over material they will teach their students the next day… only to have her class disrupted by some rowdy students.  Will what she did ever amount to anything significant and substantial in her students?  Only time will tell.  

And it’s not just the 3-4h I had to wait for the steam cleaning on the couch to fully dry, but years… and then, not even then perhaps.  My thoughts drifted back to think of the teachers who in hindsight had impacted me.  I still remember Ms Sim, my primary school maths teacher who was instrumental in my love of maths… which led me to pursue an engineering degree.

Do we do work only for the outcome?  How much does our attitude count towards doing “good work”? 

Back to the stain on my couch. 

Isn’t that a metaphor in life – we can’t always be sure all the stains will be removed by our work, or even if the few intense and concentrating minutes count for anything… if good work is to be measured by the outcome.

But, what if, by his presence and attitude to his work, he encouraged me to keep preserving.  To have the right attitude to work and to do it for the Lord, even if no one is looking… and he even cheered up my day by cracking a joke. 

In Colossians 3:23 it states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

In the book, The Heavenly Good of Earthly Work, Darrell Cosden ponders more specifically what our work will be like,
“Our sanctified imaginations can only suggest what we think God’s promise to make all things new might mean…There will be, no doubt, some specific products of our work that through judgment will be transformed and incorporated into the “new physics” of the new creation.”

Prayer

Lord, thank you for our daily work and for the opportunity to partner with you in all that we do.  To work for you through all that we do, knowing that our work here on earth is not in vain.  May you remind us that our work here on earth counts in eternity. 

In Jesus name, 
Amen.  

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About Me

Hi, my name is Mish.

Welcome to my blog, a place where I share what I'm passionate about, thoughts that are occupying my mind, people I'm intrigued by, images that are beautiful, spaces that take my breathe away, a powerful quote, or music that brings me joy!

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mishkoh

love. love doesn't mean doing extraordinary or he love.

love doesn't mean doing extraordinary or heroic things. it means knowing how to do ordinary things with tenderness. 
to love someone is to show to them their beauty, their worth and their importance. ~ jean vanier
the way back ~~~~~~~~ i resisted it’s been a lon the way back
~~~~~~~~
i resisted
it’s been a long time since i’d been there
what’s he going to say
what am i going to say
it’s probably going to be awkward

but when i entered
his arms were wide open
right where the door was
almost like he knew i would come back
like he was waiting all along 

i didn’t get to say a word
i just ran to him
and hugged him
tears streaming down my cheeks
i stood there for ages

comfort 
understanding
unconditional love
i knew in an instant he understood
he sees me 

i didn’t have to explain
i didn’t have the words
he just knew
knew more than 
i could even comprehend 

but why was i surprised?
he created me after all
he knows every single hair on my head
he knows my every step
my every thought 

before every thought is formed
any step is taken
he was there
waiting graciously
patiently for me

to come home
to make my way back
into his living arms
all along
he was waiting 

he was there
turns out
the way back 
was the only way
to move forward
serenity. this has been my view over the last two serenity. 
this has been my view over the last two days.  was only planning on stopping one night, but waking up to this was so therapeutic (even though it wasn’t sunny) that i ended up staying here again tonight. 
i always thought i was a beach gal, but i got to say, having a lake side view has been very calming! it’s changed my perception of lake views. 
i’ll definitely be back here again... 

i’m curious - what’s one thing that has surprised u in 2021? 

#dronephotography #bermagui #ingeniaholidays #vanlife
i wonder - could our inability to rest be linked t i wonder - could our inability to rest be linked to our identity? 

i wrote a few thoughts on rest recently and here are some things i’ve been pondering over...

bill johnson said, “busyness is artificial significance.  busyness can make us feel important, but neither our identity or our sense of significance should come from our schedules”
 
don’t be mistaken - it is courageous to give Him space to speak into your life.  it’s brave, to make a deliberate decision not to crowd your life, to deliberately make space. to listen.  to seek Him.  to want to know your maker and creator more intimately. 
 
i don’t know about you, but i think sometimes in my life when i feel overwhelmed, it’s cos’ i have crowded out my life and don’t make space to seek Him and just listen to Him.  or I know what I’m doing isn’t pleasing Him, and I make myself so busy so that I am numb… to everything.. 

here’s a drone shot from today as i spent the day relaxing, chilling and taking it slow on this rainy day! 

i’m curious - especially if u have read to the end of this long post... what do u enjoy doing when u rest?

#dronephotography #bermagui #vanlife #australia #visitnsw
adventure. it’s in my blood... and every so ofte adventure. it’s in my blood... and every so often, i feel the need to explore this great world, to stir my visual senses... travel to different places, experience new things. 
i find that when i get out of my normal environment, it helps me see things differently, think differently, expand my creativity and come up with new ideas. 
i’m grateful for being able to take time out to slow down. breathe. 
selah
new. i sense a change of seasons. a freshness. a new.
i sense a change of seasons. 
a freshness. 
and i’m posting now to remind me of this moment. this feeling. 
now is the time.  i don’t know if i can fully articulate it in words, by every cell in my body senses the change.
finally.
the time is now.
the waiting has passed and i’m declaring a season of fruitfulness, abundance and fullness. 
in the last couple of months but increasing in the last week, i’ve discovered new things about myself, new gifts 🎹, new miracles, new friendships, new communities to embrace, new business, new ideas... at such a phenomenal pace yet with such calm, ease, and flow.  maybe this is the easy yoke i have been pondering over. 
all thanks and to my maker, who creates, provides and sustains everything. 
soli deo gloria

for those of you waiting, i want to say... it was worth the wait. every single second.  cos it tastes all the sweeter knowing the journey it took to get here.
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