“Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
Why do we do what we do? In every decision we make and every path we choose, there is a reason behind it. When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be an engineer because I was good at math. I decided to change my major because although I was good at math, I didn’t like it! In every pursuit of something, there is a “why” behind it. Sometimes the “why” is the leading factor of what we choose to prioritize in our lives. It is a question many of us think about or get asked about at some point in our lives.
While at camp, one of our students asked why I do what I do. I gave them an answer that this is where God is calling me and I want to be obedient to where He has me. And it opened the door to so many conversations about “how do you know what God wants you to do” and “how do you hear God’s voice”. Getting the chance to tell the students about my story and how God has brought me from season to season and opened door after door was a great moment for me to share how God has worked and still is working in my life. It also allowed for me to help them process and see how God is working in theirs.
I got to further make this point after one of the night chapel meetings. The students would be seen worshipping and one of our students would make their way to the very front with other campers, raising their hands high in surrender, and singing out the worship songs. As we would meet collectively after the chapel, I would ask them the question “remember when you asked me why I do what I do? This is another reason why”. I would explain to them the joy it brings me when not only am I serving Christ through my obedience to the calling He placed on my life, but also I get to see their heart for the Lord and their praise to Him. They would begin to see that the “why” behind my life to serve God and to do it from a heart after Him. And they would process that this is the very same hope that God has for them, that “whatever [they] do, do it from the heart for the Lord”.
What is the “why” in your life? For some it’s to make friends, to be seen, to be known. For others, it’s simply because it is what they are good at. And for a portion of people, they might not have ever thought about their “why”. Let’s be challenged today to think about it. And beyond thinking about it, seek to place God at the center of it all and the highest priorities of “whys” in our life, so that in whatever we do, it reflects a heart for the Lord and points back to the One who has given us the opportunity to begin with.
