I knew it was going to be a good day when the first worker to arrive introduced himself. He had tanned skin with rough hands yet a big smile and he said my name is (said in Spanish) Jesus you know like Jesus in the bible. I smiled big and said, I know Him well. That was how my first encounter with Jesus the worker at our house began. Jesus is the owner of a company that removes Chinese sheet-rock.
Jesus’ team consists of two amazing women and 3 men who tore out the infected sheet-rock. They cleaned up after themselves and left the house spotless. It has taken them 10 days to get the house completely cleansed of the sheet-rock and contaminated building supplies. There were days I would walk into the house, music blaring and the team knee deep in insulation. Every day I came the women would be toting sheet rock out either on their back in cloth sack or by wheel barrow. Now I am a hard worker, but I don’t hold a candle to these amazing women. The men were the climbers and they used anything from ladders to stilts to reach the affected areas. They had mopped every floor, vacuumed every nook and cranny, removed all of the nails and screws and the final step was to wipe down every piece of wood left in the house. They used a steamer with a water solution and sprayed each stud and hand wiped it with a white cloth by hand. I have been blown away each day to see their hard work! They rarely took a break, but when they did you could hear them laughing and having a good time. Yesterday Jesus had joined them and I observed him laughing with them and telling stories as they enjoyed a cool drink on the hot day.
I have pondered their job and I have wondered what made them so precise and work so hard. The answer is they wanted to please their boss. You can tell they respect him and he works hard right along side them.
The bible tells us in Colossians 2:23-24 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. “ Giving our best effort is a reflection of the One we serve. So I guess the real question is, do you daily give your best as working for God? Do people walk into your work environment and say, “wow, he or she works with excellence.” Your Master is right beside you as you work. No not physically in person, but His Spirit is with you. Do you work to please Him? Is your work a witness to who you serve?
I have told Les I would not be disappointed if they were the crew who built the house back because I trust that the work they produce will be done with excellence. Oh that the world around us would see us that way. Oh that each of us would give our very best daily as a gift to the Lord.