Stuffing envelopes

3:38 p.m. Today's project was to stuff my daughter's Heidi's wedding invitations with small "notices" of the stores where she and Pavel are registered.

While the Crate&Barrel inserts were already pre-cut in lots of 25, I had to download a page of Target notices, print them on a printer that was lacking ink, then get that page copied at our UPS store to get the color right, and then cut out the darling little things by hand. They came out pretty well, I think!

I was tempted to find ways to just add the word "Target" onto the premade C&B slips, but it just didn't look nice. So I then acted in accordance with Ecclesiastes 9:10a,

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.

And Colossians 3:23 says,

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.

We all have tasks that are time-consuming, seem to make little difference in the "big picture," or are even downright dreary, like mopping my tile floor earlier this afternoon. Some of our responsibilities are dreaded, like delivering bad news, or when a teacher has to fail a student who needs that one class to graduate. Other tasks are so repetitive that we want to just give it up for one day, but we know the consequences of failing to remind children to treat their siblings lovingly, or reminding a loved one to take his meds, for example, would be severe and highly displeasing to God, who has entrusted us with their care! So we must step up and do the right thing--every day.

We see that scripture calls us to an even higher standard than basic morality. Christians are to do our work "as unto the Lord, and not unto men." That is very much above my human tendency to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, take shortcuts, and justify the means by the ends. Only the indwelling Holy Spirit can give me the patience, perseverance and love to perform with dligience and precision!

God did not seek a shortcut when it came to saving the human race from utter perdition, did He?Why not just prevent Satan from doing anything at all to tempt us? Why even give people choices--we could just automatically love and obey Him "for best results" as product directions say! Then Jesus would not have needed to suffer His torturous, hideous death on the cross. Forced love would have been the perfect shortcut. But God doesn't take short cuts!

God wants us to love Him and obey Him by our own free will, and it cost Him everything: His Only Begotten Son.

On this Good Friday, let us take to heart, with gratitude, the full meaning of John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.