The Beauty of Insignificant Work

There’s no blow quite as resonant as learning someone doesn’t remember you.

Running into an old acquaintance and hearing them say, “Um…what’s your name again?” Bumping into a kid you taught for five years in Sunday school or a beloved childhood friend who stares blankly back at you as you recount fond memories with them. I’m sure you can think of your own example.

When we are forgotten, we wonder if our kind actions toward these people had any significance, any lasting impact. We were designed to crave purpose.

We like to pretend that we don’t deem certain work insignificant. But come on, if someone told you they spent a summer rebuilding a children’s home in an needy area versus playing with toddlers in your church’s nursery, your reactions would differ based on allocated significance for each activity.

Our tendency to rank our charitable acts, hopefully acts that stem from our love for God and His people, has its roots in comparison. We enjoy volunteering to babysit for the single parent next door until we learn our friend is traveling abroad to minister to hundreds of students on the brink of accepting Christ.

The final nail in the coffin is realizing the people we are impacting, even if we can count the number of them on one hand, may not even remember us. Does our service mean nothing?

Well, yes. It does mean nothing.

It means nothing if the reason why you are serving is to be remembered or feel significant, regardless of what you are doing. The what really isn’t important. It’s the why that counts.

I know that sounds incredibly cliché, but hear me out. We have no meaning without Christ, our Creator, who has redeemed us through His own sacrifice on the cross. Through His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are given the opportunity to powerfully impact others.

Understand this (read it a few times if you need to): The only reason why we are able to make a difference is because of Jesus living inside us.

Anyone can do good works. A neighbor who has never met Jesus can cook you a spectacular meal after a terrible day or comfort you after the loss of a loved one. A stranger can plan a community-wide event that helps kids have a safe place to play. And no doubt, these works are wonderful. But they do not have the potential to be miraculous because they are not done out of a heart for God.

The beauty of insignificant work is its innate humility. When we botch up sharing our testimony to the youth group, but have a teen come up later and reveal how it inspired them, we know that only God could’ve used our words in this way. When we serve children who are too young to remember our time with them, but later watch them grow up with a solid understanding of God’s love for them, we trust that God was working even in the forgettable moments.

All works that point to Christ are used to transform lives, even if we can’t see it at the time. Some of us plant the seeds, others of us water them, but God is the one who created the seeds that bloom into fruitful plants. We are merely God’s workers, which is a relief because when we feel burdened by others’ problems, we can hand those burdens directly to God.

God is the best boss you could ever have. He doesn’t ever give you busywork or send you off to fetch His coffee. Every calling He places on our hearts is meaningful. He is not the one who suggests “smaller” deeds are insignificant. So what right do we have to call His work insignificant?

Today, keep your eyes open to the Spirit’s nudges on your heart. Remember that everything you do for Jesus is significant. Even if others can’t recall the kindness you’ve shown them, Jesus sees you and knows everything. Therefore, nothing we do out of His love is in vain.

 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9