"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." — Colossians 3:23
You know, as a dad to nine kids and a foster parent to many more over the years, I've watched this pattern play out more times than I can count. Kids rolling their eyes at chores, convinced it's just meaningless busy work. But here's what I've learned, and I'm too soon old and too late smart on this one: the way we do the things we have to do prepares us for the things we want to do later.
There's a beautiful story about a young missionary named Jim Elliot. Before he went to Ecuador to reach the Auca Indians, before he became known worldwide for his martyrdom, he was just a college student. His roommates remembered him as the guy who made his bed with military precision every single morning, who kept his side of the room spotless, who showed up early to everything. One friend asked him why he was so particular about such small things. Jim's answer was simple: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
You see, Jim understood something profound. Those mundane morning routines weren't just about a tidy room. They were training ground for discipline, faithfulness in small things, doing what needed to be done whether he felt like it or not. When he stood before those Auca warriors years later, the character that held him steady in that moment had been forged in a hundred ordinary mornings of making his bed when he'd rather have slept in.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23). Notice he didn't say "whatever great things you do" or "whatever ministry tasks you accomplish." He said whatsoever, whatever you do. That includes the dishes, the laundry, the homework, the job you don't particularly like, the task that feels beneath you.
Here's the thing we miss: God uses the ordinary to prepare us for the extraordinary. David wasn't fighting bears in the wilderness for fun, he was protecting his father's sheep. But every time he defended those sheep, he was developing the courage and faith he'd need to face Goliath. Joseph wasn't trying to become prime minister of Egypt when he faithfully managed Potiphar's household, but God was preparing him for exactly that.
The skills you develop in doing well what you have to do today become the foundation for what you'll want to do tomorrow. So whatever's in front of you today, whatever task feels mundane or meaningless, do it heartily, as unto the Lord. Because history is just His story, and He's writing your character in the margins of ordinary days.
Let's pray: Father, help us see today's tasks not as interruptions but as training ground. Give us the grace to be faithful in small things, knowing You're preparing us for greater things. In Jesus' name, Amen.
#Faith #Character #DailyDevotion #ChristianLiving #Faithfulness #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #RTTBROS #Nightlight
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