See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
ISAIAH 60:2
God’s glory is upon us. It can break through the darkest night. It is in us ready to burst out and overwhelm the darkness. That is what light does; it makes the darkness disappear. That is why God brings us each new morning. But although the light and the power are God’s, he wants us to partner with him in bringing light into the dark places where oppressors try their best to shut people away.
We can get worn down and wearied by the needs of this world. We need sleep, rest, restoration, recuperation. That’s why God gives us the end of a day; he doesn’t begrudge us our rest. He doesn’t want us to come to the end of ourselves and be defeated and enslaved in a spiritual Auschwitz, tormented, thinking it is the work we do that sets us free. No, he doesn’t want us to burn the candle at both ends so that we end up lethargic, fatigued, burned up, and burned out. To do that is to walk into the lie that was wrought in iron over the arched entrance of Auschwitz — to be held captive by the idea that work sets us free. Working ourselves into a frenzy is not freedom. It is enslavement.
But we are not slaves; we are free. And we have been freed for a purpose: to share what we’ve been given, partnering with God to fulfill his purposes on the earth. Some days, that may mean nothing more than doing a dozen little things throughout our waking hours: providing a listening ear, a casserole, and a shoulder to cry on to the neighbor whose husband has just walked out on her; acknowledging the pain in the eyes of the girl at the checkout register; or opening our home to a family who has just lost theirs until they can get back on their feet.
Let’s not miss any opportunity to do good . . . because a small thing for you and I can make a huge difference to someone else. Little things have always made a big difference.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What do you think is the difference between working for God and working with God?