Receiving, Giving, & Results

Pic from here 

Acts 20:35

And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

If I were to zero in on one haunting question (in three parts) in my own life--and I don't think it is an unusual one--it is how do I give of my time and talents best? And, how concerned is God about results externally? And, is it possibly to really fail outwardly but still be commended by Jesus with a "well-done?"

On the first question, I think it is wise to zero in our giftings when giving. I know that this can be used as an excuse to avoid the nastier and grittier aspects of service. like scrubbing toilets, yet I do think what we are best at needs to intersect with the world's greatest needs. I like to write for instance. Some people like to read what I write. Words are important. So, I put my hand to that plow. I also like to cook and am actually getting better at it. So, I enjoy serving up dishes. It is not a chore because I really like the culinary process. The searching for recipes, the chopping, the cooking, the eating. Some hate to cook, like my mom did. I wish I had discovered earlier that I find cooking to be a fun work and not a drudgery. Washing dishes is another story. I spent most of my teen years face first in a refried beans pot trying to dislodge said beans that were like mortar. And I did it at 1:00 in the morning. At minimum wage. I have Post-Stress Dishwasher Disorder.

Onto the second question...external results. I am burdened by measurements of success, particularly when it comes to numerical success. McDonald's sells a lot of Big Macs, does that make this hamburger laud-worthy? How about Bud and other crappy beers? Or Wal-Marts dominance? Sure, these companies are very successful and don't suck at what they do in terms of selling, but mere success is not always an indicator of worthiness.  Some great things fail externally, at least in the short-term--which can be very long in human terms but just a moment in God's time. Socrates drank the hemlock and died, his questioning ways came to a close. But, his spirit of questioning and insights persisted in his pupil Plato and his writings and now he is a household name in freshmen Philosophy courses.

Third, and most haunting of all, will Jesus reward a strike and a miss? Or several strike outs? Where effort was supreme, perhaps even excellence was intrinsic. But through some "bad" combination of time and place, the seeds of greatness in a particular domain remained dormant? Forever. But, the person maybe became very much like Christ in the process. Where they left the results up to God and let go. And, those deep spiritual qualities refined in the outward failure made them a better dad, a more loving husband, a truer friend, a valuable employee, etc. I think God is great at transferring failure in one realm to success in another. We may not see the connection, others could miss it too. However, Jesus sees it.