Pages Left Over

More than 30 years ago my wife worked in her college print shop.  As a gift to me she made a custom pad of paper that I could use for when I did some side jobs in tree work.  It was awesome to have something with my name and “company” information on it that I could give to people.  It was a way for me to communicate with customers with something far better than chicken scratch on a napkin.  Once we were married and I had taken a city job, the days of weekend tree work dwindled and so did the use of that special pad of paper.

The other day, when going through some old boxes of stuff, the last remaining remnants of that special pad of paper resurfaced.  My wife showed it to me and once again, so many memories of jobs that I had done during those years came rushing back.  I remember the long days spent dragging sticky pine branches with my wife, hauling logs to the dump, splitting hardwood for firewood, and smelling like a combination of pine tree, wood chips, and gasoline.  I remember just how utterly exhausted I would be but also how satisfying it was to put my hands to a task with passion, determination, and great care.  Those memories are powerful, fresh in my mind, and lasting.

But there are pages of the pad left over…pages that have not yet been used.

For some reason that fact bothered me for a time and it made me wonder if there were more jobs that I could have done, jobs that I missed or turned down, that would have used up all the pages of my special pad.  I know that at this point in my life I am not going to be climbing up any 100′ trees or splitting a cord of wood any day soon.  So I am left with the memories and a longing.

As I thought about that I started to reflect on the work that I have done for God.  I remember days of hard labor for Him.  I remember nights in long meetings working with determination and care on the things that have eternal meaning.  I have memories of preparing to teach a class, preach a sermon, or build the stage for a VBS program.  I remember having sore “spiritual muscles” for days or weeks all from working hard for Him to teach and to learn from His word.  It is good to be doing that kind of work…it is the best kind of work.

But just like that special pad of paper for my tree business, there are still pages left on the spiritual pad of paper of my life.  God put my name in His book, on His special pad, and he wrote Jesus’ name on my life.  Every day He wants me to reflect Him to others.  He wants me to be getting dirty doing the work He has called me to.  That is something to be excited about.  That is the kind of work to put my heart, mind, and soul into.

There are still pages on the pad of my life to be lived for Jesus and for the glory of God and until His pen stops writing it is my job to keep my life’s pad out of storage and ready to be written on!

How about your life pad…is God busy writing all over it or is it packed away in a box somewhere?