Who REALLY Notices?

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Ephesians 6:7 

 

I love listening to the stories people tell, especially when the storyteller talks about the things I can remember.  I remember using a dial phone.  I remember using a metal ice tray with a handle on it. I remember when the freezer was referred to as the "ice box."  I remember, at some point, going to the church on Saturday to help cut the grass and make sure everything was ready for Sunday.

 

One story, in particular, I heard was about Michaelangelo.  The Pope had offered him a job painting the ceiling of one of the chapels.  Now Michaelangelo's passion was sculpting, not painting.  And he almost didn't take the job, but he decided this would be an opportunity for more work and he took the job.  Well...four years and over 400 figures and 9 scenes later, he had changed more than the chapel; he had changed the entire direction of art!  

 

One of the priests who had been observing Michaelangelo work asked him why he spent so much time getting every detail right in the corners when no one will even see in the corners.  Michaelangelo's response was priceless: "God will see."

 

There is a song, I may have used before, by Jimmy Buffett that addresses why we shouldn't work for recognition.  It's called "It's My Job" and is a string of stories about why people do what they do when no one seems to notice...their answer is always the same, "It's my job."  Yet I challenge you to view all that we do from the perspective of Michaelangelo.  True, no one may notice the hours you put in; no one may notice the emotional, physical, spiritual toll you pay in doing what needs doing; no one may notice....but God does.

 

If we seek the recognition of others, then we will get that temporary moment of triumph.  If we go about our lives with the understanding that God sees, then God's rewards for us are eternal.  Not a certificate. Not a photo op. Not a plaque or trophy. ETERNAL rewards.

LOOK AT ME!

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
    a stranger, not your own lips.

~Proverbs 27:2

Ever know anyone who just seemed to crave being the center of attention?  Someone who wants their every deed to be known, recognized, and acknowledged?  Let's face it, we all, at some point, enjoy it a little when our good deeds are noticed and acknowledged.  But what about those who seem to live for the recognition? 

Let me be clear, I am an Introvert!  I like quiet, behind-the-scenes, type activities.  Being involved is a need, but being the center of attention is extremely uncomfortable.

I learned a long, long (long, long, long, long) time ago, in my Army days, that if you wanted to be noticed, then try to be unnoticeable. The more I tried to be nondescript and camouflaged, the more my First Sergeant would pick me out; especially for such glamorous tasks as "Who's going to dig my latrines for me?" and "Who's going to wash my Mess Sergeant's cookware?"  During those moments, it was as if the world had gone dark and the only shining light was focused on me.

But it is sometimes frustrating when you do your best and, even though you don't like the spotlight, you'd like at least some acknowledgement.  After all, why even try if your efforts are not appreciated.  But then I hear Grampa's voice in my head, "People will get bored with you if you always brag about everything you do.If you want people to notice, don't do things to be noticed."  Hmmmm....something worth pondering.

Remember, "For all that is secret God will eventually bring into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all." Luke 8:17