Signs

These are signs at my work.

One is on my desk...



And the other on my mom's...



My sign faces toward me, all day long as I work, it's there as a reminder of what my attitude ought to be. It's sitting next to the paper clip jar that I am using all day long, putting things together, taking them apart, again and again, I see the sign, "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

My mom's sign on the other hand faces outward. As you sit across from her at her desk, anyone who comes along can read it for themselves. "My boss is a Jewish carpenter." As she speaks to you in her office, it has been clearly stated, she is a Christian.

I started thinking about these signs, and they inspired enough thought it led me to bring my camera to work to document them.

It's interesting how in life, these two signs are ones we ought to carry in our hearts and in our demeanor and not just on our desks.

Whatever we are doing, we ought to do it with the thought and intention of glorifying God through it. Whether the task is monumental or mundane, we want to do it in a way that honors God. Whether we're preaching to the masses or changing a dirty diaper in the church nursery, we should do it with an attitude of service, and an attitude of worship.

I have a lot of mundane tasks in my life, in my job and my role as a mom. From helping with homework, to filing invoices, from scrubbing the toilets to making collection calls - all jobs I'm called to do, not all jobs I always have the best attitude about. But the verse says whatever you do... I wonder if it isn't the truest sense of worship when we have the best attitudes about the littlest, and perhaps least enjoyable tasks.

I think perhaps if we truly live with a heart attitude of the first sign, perhaps the second sign will be more clearly reflected in our lives. I wonder if my affinity to Christ wouldn't be more obvious to those around me if I wasn't living to greater perfection the first sentiment.

That is my greatest desire after all, for the world to know the One I serve. But I want it reflected in right manner. I want the world to see the difference in me because of Him.

I also think perhaps if we cannot accomplish the attitude of the first sign, or if we aren't at least striving towards it, then perhaps for the sake of His name and the sake of the gospel, we shouldn't "wear" the second sign at all. We certainly don't want to bring disgrace to his name by our attitudes and actions.

I remember once, a long, long time ago when Neal and I were new Christians and we went out with a couple of friends. One was a Christian, the other was not. The Christian friend "wore his sign" that day by wearing a Christian t-shirt. Then he proceeded to spend the whole afternoon acting like a letch. Both friends were making vulgar comments about women, ogling them, etc., but this one friend did it with CHRIST emblazoned across his chest. I was mortified.

There is a great responsibility to those of us who are Christians. We have to remember Who we belong to, that our "boss is a Jewish carpenter" and that because of that whatever we are doing, we must do it "to the glory of God." What a wonderful cycle - because "my boss is a Jewish carpenter" I do "whatever" I do "to the glory of God." And because "whatever" I do, I do "to the glory of God," the world will know I serve Jesus.

Just something to think about. What sign are you reflecting, or hoping to reflect in your life today? As for me, I'm going to try to focus a little better on both of the above today.