Nothing is Wasted

“I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’” Isaiah 49:4

Have you ever felt like your work is futile? That all the things you do are for nothing? Do you ever wonder why God put you in that job, that marriage, that position, that calling? Do the dirty dishes, laundry, floors, kids all seem to pile up taunting you with their never-ending demands?

We see people in great positions receiving abounding accolades and we wonder why we aren’t called to greatness. Our jealousy threatens to rear its ugly head. So we decide that when our circumstances change, when we get that job, when our children are more self-sufficient, when our spouses give us more attention then we will be happy.

The monotony of life can suck the joy out of us. And we can become complacent, complaining, contrary, and ultimately discontent. And that’s a dangerous place to be.

But can I tell you that nothing we do goes unnoticed? God sees it all – the great and the mundane – including our attitudes that accompany our every day tasks.

When our heart is right with God, when we realize that He is our ultimate reward, when we are more concerned about His approval rather than man’s then we can be content in any situation, with any role, with any task.

Because ultimately our number one job on this earth is to love as Jesus loved. And God calls us to love the people we see on a daily basis. And that means overbearing clients, eccentric coworkers, grumpy neighbors, disobedient children, and impatient strangers. God has placed us exactly where He wants us so that we can let Jesus shine through us to a dark and hurting world.

God is not surprised at where we are in life. He watches over us, leading us to places where we can serve Him best. Our skills, talents, personalities were all designed by Him and He asks us to serve Him in the mundane as well as in the thrilling.

We aren’t all called to be on a stage with thousands applauding our efforts. But we all are called to be a living testimony of what God has done in our lives.

So if you ever feel like Isaiah was talking about in the verse above, just know that nothing you do for God is ever wasted. Even if your efforts seem to go unnoticed or are dismissed, know that you are planting seeds and that God is ultimately responsible for what happens.

So trust Him, keep living out loud what Jesus has done for you. And know that God sees you and is pleased with you and He will reward you so much better than the applause and attention of thousands.