If a domino falls in the forest and no-one is around to hear or see it, did it even happen? Or matter?
Realistically, probably not. Spiritually, absolutely.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).
After John’s message on Wednesday night, I was reminded of a conviction that tends to get buried deep within. The Holy Spirit tells me this often but my heart doesn't fully believe it. Who here likes to be seen in the hard work that you put into things? When one or multiple people praise you for saying a special thing, giving the perfect sermon, taking somebody out to eat, praying for somebody, being a light, sharing the Gospel, putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, or the many other things that God uses for us to be a domino. Having people see and acknowledge these things isn’t inherently bad. In fact, one of our jobs as Christians is to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13). The hard part comes when God wants to use us as a domino in somebody’s life (oftentimes as a middle of the chain domino) and nobody will ever know. This above is the exact thing that convicts me. I want to be seen. I want people to know how hard I work. I desire praise for being a domino. When I’m proud about my own accomplishment in God’s domino chain, pride is fueled. It becomes rather obvious now that my motives to advance the Gospel are now tainted with a desire for other people to acknowledge what I do/did. It’s now about me and not about God. We are all guilty of this at some point and it’s hurting us, God, and His church. The domino may still fall.but our hearts are becoming hardened and dependent upon human praise.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Everything we have; every spiritual gift, ability, trait, and characteristic has been given out of our Father’s grace. We get the honor of joining God in His plan for every human and co-labor in His domino chain. This co-laboring has way less to do with us and way more to do God. True laboring comes when we could care less what the outcome is and how it affects us but instead trust that God can use everything we do for His glory. If “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44), then our part in the harvest is to humbly position ourselves to share the Gospel and be a light to others, even when it’ll never be seen or noticed by others. Here’s the beautiful part though…...God notices. He notices when you give that guy money at the gas station to get Texas. He notices when you give somebody a hug on a bad day. He notices when you give someone your phone number so they can have a friend. He notices when you share how Jesus’s story changed your life. He notices when you invite someone into your house and cook them a meal. Do you notice something in all these? Big or small, God notices our work for His kingdom. “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. (Hebrews 6:10).
My prayer for today is that we all would feel God’s heart toward us and how He notices even the smallest things we do. True redemption from our pride comes when we allow the Holy Spirit to take control. Our thirst for human praise is only quenched through the love and grace of the Father. May we use our gifts and abilities for God’s glory and may our hearts be set on humbly laboring for the Lord, even when nobody else sees. Our Father sees. Amen.