I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a
life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Lately I’ve been
reading Charles Colson’s The Good Life. It is a wonderful read, published just a few
years before he passed away; so the wisdom he shares is from a lifetime of
accumulated learning and experience.
And what a life that
was, from pre-teen, fervent World War II era schoolboy raising funds to buy
jeeps for the military, to serving in the Marines - later an Ivy League educated
lawyer and Special Counsel to the President of the United States who became a
Watergate scandal convicted felon! When
all was said and done, I believe he will be remembered as one who returned to
the prisons, this time to minister as an advocate for the inmates. You learn a lot from all sides of the fence.
Colson writes:
Living a life of
significance does not depend on the prerogatives that belong to high position;
it depends even less on others’ esteem and praise. Living a meaningful life consists simply in
embracing the responsibilities and work given to us, whatever they are. The nature of work itself connects us with
the moral order (and the God who created it…).
The workbench, the kitchen counter, the computer station, or any other
workspace is an altar. There is intrinsic
meaning to work well done – and when we fail to grasp this, we become hollow
persons. [1]
Colson went from
advisor in the Oval Office to washing sweaty inmate’s clothes in the prison
laundry. The former was work of which everyone
in the world took note; the latter was despised by even the prisoners.
What could make
prison laundry detail a holy thing on a level with being a highly placed
government official? The same thing that
can make them both useless and burdensome – why you do what
you do.
Colson came to
believe that his “workspace is an
altar”. Whatever you do, do it to
the glory of God. This is (in the Apostle
Paul’s words) living a life worthy of that to which God has called you. Are you a plumber? Make those joints secure. A mother?
Change those diapers with reverence.
Banker, lawyer, school custodian, athlete, student, homeless or
retired? Do all for and to the glory of
Almighty God.
In the end the only (true)
significance to whatever you do is your joyful, reverent, 100%-given-stab-at-excellence
kind of obedience a faithful servant gives in the name of the Master who gives
the order.
Remember this? Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Today…for you
You’ve got stuff to do today; so GO…hit that
rocky road and give it everything you’ve got, with a smile on your face,
uplifted hands of praise to the Lord, and confidence in your heart that God
will reward your faithfulness.
That’s living a life of significance; a life where your workspace is an
altar!
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