Poor Poor Pitiful Me

Last night at Amana we honored the volunteers whose efforts keep the church wheels turning. It is amazing what it takes and more amazing how God makes it all work. Pastor pointed out that oft quoted statistic that 20 percent of the folks do 80 percent of the work. The reason for that, obviously, is that 80 percent aren’t doing what they should be doing.  But we need to look deeper than that. Why aren’t the 80 percent pulling their load. For many, it is no doubt that they don’t believe they have a load to pull, they don’t listen to God, or they are just lazy. But for some of the 80 percent, they perceive that the 20 percent like being the 20 percent and really prefer that the 80 percent stay the 80 percent. Humans have problems with ownership and pride. “This is my ministry and no one can do it like I can.” We also have problems with self-flagellation. “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” That’s more than lyrics from an old Linda Ronstadt song.  It’s a refrain we love to sing.
Today OC talks about how obedience to God often costs others more than it costs the obedient one. He warns about using that cost as an excuse for not obeying God. But we also have to be real sure that what we are doing is what God told us to do and not just what we have decided we should do because if we don’t do it nobody will. I believe that if each of us did exactly what God told us to do, nothing less and nothing more.. the 80/20 problem would vanish. Maybe if you quit doing that thing that you are not called to do; the person who is so called will step forward.
Successful people concentrate on what they should be doing and leave the rest for someone else. Great managers know how to delegate and they delegate tasks to those who are best suited for the task. How much more so with God. He directs His Church, if we’ll just listen.
Try this, just for today, before you do each task of the day, ask yourself. “Is God telling me to do this?” Maybe what you’re about to do is just a habit. Maybe it’s something you really enjoy; but that’s no proof it’s what God wants you to be doing.
I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant yesterday. In my fortune cookie I was told. “Do what’s right not what you should.” That made no sense to me. But on further reflection, it’s pretty good, if we consider that doing what’s right is doing what God tells us to do and doing what we should is doing what we feel we should do.
Let’s make sure in 2010 that we are doing all God asks us to do. If that costs others, then that’s on God. He can handle it.  Doing less or more than God asks us to do, that costs others as well, in fact it’s a lot more costly, and that’s on us.
Just follow His instructions and
Be blessed.
Nick