It’s not about moving on to bigger, better, and more elaborate things. It’s about serving with a humble spirit wherever God has placed you, in your job, your family, a college campus, or at work. Let the quality of your work be the pattern from which your stature is cut.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and summertime is fading.
In a few weeks the air will turn crisp with hints of fall. It’s county fair time, and even the state fair, when farmers and 4-H kids, quilters, picklers, bakers, all of them display their harvest goods, as if saying good-bye to the season of summer. When we were kids, my sisters and I, oh we loved spending a day at the county fair. It was such a treat. I loved the barns – the smell of oats mingled with straw, the silky feel of kid goats and calves, and the sight of a prize-winning cow as tall as my dad. Actually, because my sisters and I were in 4-H, we had our hand in showing our calves. I could not, however, bear the thought that after the fair, the calves would be auctioned.
And then there was the Arts and Crafts building, right? Yards of clotheslines holding finely-stitched aprons and tablecloths. But the finest were the quilts: Sunbonnet Sue patterns, Log Cabin, Dresden Plate patterns. Often, the blue ribbon was not awarded to a colorful, elaborate quilt, but maybe to a plain one with the straightest, most consistent stitches. Quality is what counted.
Now in Acts 9 we read about a woman named Dorcas who cared about quality. She was a seamstress and made beautiful robes, quilts and garments. I don’t think they had local fairs in Bible times, but if there were such a thing, Dorcas could have easily taken the blue ribbon. Although known for doing good deeds and helping the poor, she was mostly famous for the fine garments she sewed. But Dorcas became sick and died. At her funeral, church widows came forward with clothes that she had made, as if to show how her life was as fine as her work.
But when friends of Dorcas heard that the apostle Peter was in town, they had hope. So he was summoned to the funeral where he miraculously brought Dorcas back to life. Now, she had been dead for some time and when the people saw this amazing miracle, everyone ended up believing in Jesus! A dead woman brought back to life! Her fame must’ve spread, and it makes me wonder what Dorcas then did with her exciting new life? Did she move on to bigger, better ministry? Something more elaborate? Well, I’ve got a feeling she remained in her simple ministry. A ministry of doing good and serving the poor. She had a heart to help others, not exhibit her giftedness.
And so we can assume that the ministry of Dorcas remained as consistent and as excellent as the seams that she stitched. Nothing colorful, nothing elaborate. Just plain service with a careful attention to detail. The quality of her work was the pattern from which her spiritual stature was cut. And I’m no judge, but in my estimation, that’s worth a blue ribbon in eternity! And, oh, don’t you long for the same when you go to see Jesus? Don’t you want him to be happy with your work? Well sure, you do. Well, if so, then consider Christ’s command to us to help others, and to be humble about the gifts he has given us. It’s not about moving on to bigger, better, and more elaborate things. It’s about serving with a humble spirit wherever God has placed us, in our job, our family, a college campus, at work. We serve with a lowly spirit, always thinking of others before ourselves. So, let the quality of your work be the pattern from which your stature is cut. This is Joni Eareckson Tada sharing that kind of hope from the story of Dorcas.
© Joni and Friends