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Topic: Reward (09/27/04)
TITLE: Awards Versus Rewards By Kristin Slavik 10/03/04 |
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I have friends who are always trying to obtain the awards of life but seem to completely miss the rewards of life. They frequently overlook the things that make life rewarding and the people that help make those things possible. Just because we are successful, does not mean that we are recognizing life for all that God meant it to be for us.
Some may even think that their small efforts are not worth reward. They feel that you have to make significant change to be worthy of rewards. Because of this they too miss the many true rewards in their lives. Things that make significant changes are worthy of awards, but the rewards go to those making the little differences every day.
Our church is very small. We often find it hard to feel like we are making a difference in the community. To prove us wrong, our pastor started the ‘pebble project’. He asked each of us to reach out to someone else that we would not normally talk to and have a conversation with that person. Like a pebble being tossed in a pool of water, you never quite know where the ripples from that one conversation may lead. Once you completed the challenge, you were to take a pebble and place it in a jar in front of the church. The jar filling up has come to symbolize the great rewards from a simple act. The rewards we have realized already are amazing. We have people talking and feeling really good about the rewards of reaching out to other people. God can truly do big things with little efforts.
When we are tempted to look for the awards around the next corner of life we may be overlooking the true reward. True rewards are:
Righteous, not realized
Entrusted, not earned
Welcomed, not won
Accepted, not arrogant
Reverent, not recognized
Divined, not deserved
The burdens of life may be many, but in Christ our rewards are truly great. I challenge you to seek out those people who help to make your life rewarding and thank them for it. While you are at it, go ahead and add a pebble to the jar. You never know just where God may take the ripples.