Nothing is Useless with God
Photo byAaron Burden @aaronburden
The days keep rolling along. Have you ever felt like the minutes or hours you spend on something are useless? I know I can sure feel that way at times! For example, all the years of writing and honing the craft of writing fiction sometimes made me feel like falling to the floor screaming, “It’s useless!”
But did you know that Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
I want to encourage you, friends, to know everything you do has value. The walk in the park is beneficial. The smile and wave you give to your next-door neighbor is helpful. It can lift someone’s spirits. It all matters, and God can use it!
Even in our darkest times of suffering, abandonment, or loneliness, God can use those times to turn them into encouragement that we can offer to someone else simply because we understand. I believe that is how he created us. To be useful!
The joy is that I don’t have to run around trying to make things happen every minute to be useful. He can use my mistakes, missteps, strivings, and even boredom.
God has done a significant work in my life with my upcoming novel. Nine years I felt the call to write this book - but I wasn’t sure where to start or how. That’s when I began to work at it day by day, year by year. Sometimes, I felt like dumping the whole thing and forgetting about it. But one thing I kept hearing was God’s soft, gentle voice continuing to prompt me. There was a story God wanted to use, and I felt it. So, I joined writing groups, took writing classes, and signed up for critique groups. I attended writer’s conferences. Although all these things were great, not every minute of effort I spent seemed worthwhile.
Today, I can see how the many hours I spent have become valuable. All those hours of writing and rewriting, working with editors, have now added up to become a novel. I hope this story will not only lift up those affected by gambling harm or some other addiction but also it will entertain at the same time.
Keeping our eyes on God in every seemingly useless moment can turn those times into something God can use. Something that can make a difference in someone else’s life or your own.
Changing a light bulb? It is practical, so we will have light in our houses. Calling a lonely neighbor? God can use it to spread love and let that neighbor know they are not forgotten. Even reading a book is a great way to relax and recharge, which we could all use in today’s world.
I am from the Princeton area, and we love our Einstein quotes. Albert Einstein once said, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” So, even boredom can be used positively!
I hope this encourages you today to know that you matter to God. He loves you and wants to use your “useless” moments and turn them into something good.
God Bless!