“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds…” -Hebrews 10:24
Sometimes in life (and especially in service) you can wonder if your work is really worth the effort. I had a specific experience like that in Detroit with the High Hopes group this summer.
On our third full day of work we were led to a vacant lot where the grass had grown too high. And underneath the grass, matted and packed in, were various items of trash and large fallen branches. Young trees and shrubs that had been cut poked their stumps up occasionally just high enough to catch a mower blade. We had one push mower, a weed whipper, some pruning equipment, and some waning enthusiasm. A couple tries on the lot and Anne and I agreed that a Brush Hog or some other heavy equipment could do more in fifteen minutes than we could do in three hours–with less damage to the machinery. But, this is what we were given to do, so we got to work.
Not long after we started a middle-aged woman, a neighbor, stopped by to see what we were up to. When she found out we had some tools, she asked if she could borrow our pruning shears to clear the sidewalk that had overgrown by her house. We gladly loaned her the shears. Later, a man pulled up in a car to find out more, and he told us that he tries to keep the intersections clear of tall weeds that impede vision for drivers and pedestrians. He admitted it had been awhile since he last did, and that he should get on that. “God bless you,” he told us before pulling away.
I realized that even though our efforts were in one way meager and inefficient, in another way they were gathering people’s attention and prompting them to take action towards a better neighborhood. We were “provoking them to love and good deeds.” In the end, our physical efforts in the city would be a small, temporary step — grass would grow again, more trash would likely accumulate. But if by our efforts we could join those who were provoking love and good deeds around Detroit, we would have added to a spiritual force capable of transforming everything!
This, I believe, is God’s work.
And that’s why, I’ve found, it is worth the effort.
“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” -1 Cor 15:58
Peace,
Andrew Spidahl