Our church was in the process of finishing a substantial addition to its educational space. Professional builders had put up the walls and roof and finished the lower floors. To save some of the expense, the church asked the men of the congregation to come and finish the upper floor. This area was to be the youth ministry worship space. I’m not much of a build-it or fix-it guy, but I truly wanted to be part of the effort.
As soon as I showed up, I knew I was in over my head. All the guys were wearing tool belts, holding drills, stretching out measuring tapes, operating table saws and blowing insulation into wall panels. They were wearing hard hats and overalls. I showed up in shorts and a See You at the Pole T-shirt. They had brought all of their tools and machines from their home workshops. I brought my cell phone and my car keys.
Out of place
These are good fellas. They welcomed me warmly and tried their best to find something useful for me to do. But having no tools and lacking the ability and knowledge to use them anyway, the possibilities were limited. I tried to fit in by carrying lumber and handing out bottles of water, but there was no hiding from the fact that I was dreadfully out of place. I wound up relegated to holding the door frames in place so that one of my skilled friends could install the hinges and bolt them in.
I was embarrassed and quiet. My friend must have recognized my humbled demeanor. That’s when he looked at me and said, “Isn’t it amazing that teenagers will walk through these doors unsaved and will walk back out having made decisions to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? What happens through these doorways will change lives.”
Sincere effort
I was stunned. His simple observation struck me as incredibly profound. The task I was doing was minor, but that didn’t mean it was unimportant. Nothing done in the service of Jesus is of no value. God honors every sincere effort, big and small. From that moment on, I decided to be the best door frame holder I could possibly be.
That was more than 20 years ago. Thousands of young people have passed through those doorways. My doorways. Thank you, Lord, for finding a purpose in your plan for even the least of us.
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