Behind the Scenes

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:13-18; 1 Peter 4:10-11

"Put the blue block here, Mae,” Atlas said as he helped his four-year-old sister build a tower with blocks. When the structure was almost finished, Mae pulled out a green block near the bottom. The tower wobbled, then toppled over. “Mae, you ruined it!” exclaimed Atlas. “Why did you do that?”

“I want this pretty green one at the top so I can see it,” Mae replied.

Just then Mom’s phone dinged. “Atlas, it’s for you,” Mom said and showed him the text. “Your youth group leader wants you to call him.”

Atlas took her phone and stepped into the hall. A few minutes later, he came back to the family room. “He wants me to come to a rehearsal for that skit they’re doing,” Atlas said. “There aren’t any parts left in the skit, but they need somebody to help move props between scenes.” He frowned. “I’m not good enough to be in the skit, but I’m good enough to move the props! Well, I don’t feel like going just to move stuff around. Anyone can do that!”

“But the production won’t be nearly as effective if the props aren’t in the right place,” said Mom. “Moving them may not seem as glamorous as acting in the play, but it’s a very important job.” She paused, then added, “It’s like the block Mae took out of the tower you were building.”

“What do you mean?” asked Atlas.

“Mae just took out one block that didn’t show very much,” said Mom. “So why did the whole tower tumble down?”

“Because the blocks on the bottom support the rest of the tower,” Atlas replied.

“Well, it’s the same when people work together for the Lord,” Mom said. “Each worker is equally important in God’s eyes. God values everything we do out of love for Him, whether we’re on stage or behind the scenes, and we can trust Him to use our work to point others to Jesus and His love for us.”

“You make it sound like moving furniture for a skit is sharing Jesus with people,” Atlas said.

Mom shrugged. “Jesus says that whatever we do, we do for Him.”

After a moment, Atlas nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll help move the props.”

–Tanya K. Marshall

How about you? Have you ever done something to help out and wondered if it made a difference? What matters most is that you do whatever work God gives you for Him, not for recognition by others. When we do everything out of love for God, He uses our faithful service to point people to Jesus, who came to earth to serve us by dying for our sins. Know that God values your work, even if it’s behind the scenes.

Today's Key Verse: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (NIV) Colossians 3:23

Today's Key Thought: God values everything you do for Him