Understanding the Assignment

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
Colossians 3:23

Let all that you do be done in love."
I Corinthians 16:14

Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided that we would pass on giving each other gifts and forego the outings for this year. His birthday is at the beginning of the year and mine is just a few months after, so we thought we would save the "special stuff" for our birthdays. Because I am still trying to eat right and stay as healthy as possible, I asked him not to give me anything sweet... no cakes or cookies. This would help both of our efforts to eat better. He agreed.

The day after Valentine's Day, my neighbors, whom we love so much, blessed us... "the teenagers" (they call us) with a beautiful gift. When we opened the present, we found that they had given us chocolates. But not just any chocolates, gourmet chocolates. Ron and I looked at each other, smiled, took a chocolate out of the box.... did a "chocolate toast", and bit into this scrumptious decadence. The moment I bit into it, I looked at Ron and said, "They understood the assignment."

When we hear this term in social media, it is often used when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty. People use this term when someone completes a task and completes it well. The moment Ron and I opened the box of chocolates, and tasted them, we knew that these were not just any chocolates, but they were exquisite...creamy. They were gourmet, some with pecan praline, some with cordial cherries, and others with chocolate ganache... and they were amazing. Our neighbors, not only wanted to bless us, but they went above and beyond the call of the assignment. The assignment that God had given them was clearly understood.

I realized that God had a message in what seemed to be a simple box of chocolates. Let whatever you do, be done in love. Do it as if you were doing it for the Lord Himself, and not for men. This thought should change one's perspective. Understand the assignment. Put your heart into it. Don't settle for the ordinary. Regular won't work. Perform, give, share, bless, minister... as if you were doing it for God Himself. 

When Ron and I tasted the chocolate, for a moment, health goals melted away. Concern about a few inches in the waste line vanished into thin air. We chose to bask in the moment that God loved us enough to give to us the very best... in more ways than one.

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