Whatever I Do ... You Mean Everything?

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17)

That's a pretty tall order, isn't it?

A few years ago, I had this reference tattooed on one of my shoulders, along with a quill pen. I want my writing--not just this blog, but my books and novellas--to represent my faith. I pray with every word I write to plant a seed, to encourage, and sometimes, to teach. I started out writing just because I love it. I have stories in my head, and I want to put them on paper. Although the Christian fiction market gets better every year, it can still be an uphill battle for a writer. How easy it would be to write secular fiction. And more profitable.

That kind of applies to life in general. Our home, our job (even if your job is being a student), our friendships, our hobbies, and activities. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "That's easy for you to say. You work for a faith-based non-profit, and you write Christian romance." And my response to that is, "So what?"

Sure, there are some jobs that make this command a pretty easy task. School teachers. Writers. Preachers, certainly. But what if your job is, say, working on a road crew? Here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area of Texas, I'm pretty sure we're in perpetual road construction mode. I hear they're considering changing the state animal from the armadillo to the traffic cone.

If you work on a road crew, can you do that in the name of Jesus? I know, it sounds crazy, but bear with me. Are you thankful you have a job? Are you able to have conversations with a coworker about the Gospel? Are your habits--your work ethic, your honesty, your conversation--examples of Christlike behavior? Then you can do your job in the name of Jesus.

What about the rest of your life? Your family and friends. Classmates or coworkers. Hobbies. I have to ask myself, am I doing everything in His name? And I fear the answer is, not always.

I pray I can keep this at the front of my mind, and my actions will follow.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

• How can I ensure I'm always doing things in the name of Christ?
• What areas of my life can I work a little better at mirroring Christ?