Results

I’m in favor of them.

I like a ‘to do’ list. I like a list because I like to check off the items as complete. And if I do something that’s not on my ‘to do’ list, I’ll write it in just so I can check it off.

Yes, I like to see results.

And isn’t that a bit of a rub for those of us who live on Earth with a temporary work VISA?

In the kingdom of God, results are mostly hidden in the heavenly realm. Crowns, inheritance, souls, and full length detailed stories of redemption are secured for us in heaven. Rarely, on earth, do we get to experience the results of our service to our King.

I do know that I’ve been privileged to experience a few glimpses of His glory touching the dust of this earth. I remember early in my relationship with Jesus, I was home on break from my college studies. On a Sunday, I drove to the church where as a 9 year old I attended VBS, gave my heart to Jesus, and was baptized. Even though I had not often attended church in the previous decade, walking into the sanctuary felt like coming home.

As I settled into a pew toward the back, I looked up to the choir loft. A few people dressed in black suits and white shirts prepared their instruments for the service about to begin. That’s when I saw a familiar face. It was Beth.

Beth was my elementary school friend. Really, she was my only elementary school friend. We were total opposites in appearance, but we clung to each other as the last to get picked for any team activity. We were the class misfits.

However, once I tasted the joy of feeling loved and accepted by the precious ladies who led VBS, and experienced the continuation of that joy in a Sunday School class, I had to invite Beth. She had to know that there were nicer, more caring people in the world.

Beth accepted my invitation to Sunday School. And guess what, I got an extra gold star on my attendance sheet for bringing a friend. After her initial experience at church, Beth invited her brother, mom and dad. They all returned to this church as a family. And they stayed.

We moved away. Church was something I had known and left. Visited here and there with a friend, parents or grandparents. I thought of church as the place to find God, but I hadn’t looked for Him much. At least, not until I went away to college, and then I became focused on finding Him. Church is where I would find God waiting for me.

A decade later, not at all knowing the full story of their faith journey, I caught a glimpse of how God allowed unfaithful me to participate with faithful Him in Beth’s life. I cried. As I watched Beth and her family play their orchestral instruments for the glory of God, I was humbled and grateful.

I like results, and so one day, I hope to know the rest of Beth’s story, and to meet all the others she invited. I hope to know, in full, the change of trajectory for generations of her family. It will be a grand reunion!

Live love brightly,

Lisa

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Today I’m joining my friends at Five Minute Friday for an impromptu writing activity centered on the word: result.