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The Simple Life Tom Barnard
“Well done, good and faithful servant: you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV)
He was born Nicholas Herman in the first decade of the 17th Century in France, and died in 1691. As a young man he served as a soldier in the Thirty Years War, during which he sustained an injury to his sciatic nerve that left him permanently crippled and in pain for the rest of his life. He chose to be known as Brother Lawrence, in honor of the parish priest who was his mentor and teacher. He was accepted into a monastic order, where he served God until he died. In mid-life he entered a monastery in Paris where for 15 years he worked as a cook for the religious community of over a hundred men. Brother Lawrence had no great love for kitchen work, but he approached it with the same level of commitment and discipline with which he approached every assignment given to him.
He lived a life that was uncomplicated and simple. It was only after his death that his writings were discovered and eventually printed in a small booklet entitled, “The Practice of the Presence of God.” Here is what he said about his walk with God:
“I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him…and this without any other view than purely for the love of Him, and because He deserves infinitely more.”
In the parable, Jesus said the “good and faithful” servants had been faithful “in a few things.” You know the story. A man of means had handed varying amounts of money to three servants, based on what he knew to be the capabilities of each man. On the day of accounting, the first two were praised and rewarded for their faithfulness. The third servant was treated harshly because he had stashed the money entrusted to him in the ground rather than putting it to work. If he had invested the money wisely, his reward would have been like the other two servants. It wasn’t the amount of the appreciated value that mattered to Jesus; it was their level of faithfulness that made the difference.
Heavenly Father, I confess that my attitude toward the work you have given me has not always been perfect. And the results haven’t always been that hot either. I was hoping for success in many things, while you were looking for faithfulness in “a few things.” I was hoping to reach the “top,” while you were looking to see how well I performed at the entry level. I longed for respect, while you were looking for signs that I could enable others to earn respect for the things they did. I am not a finished product; I need your help to improve the quality of my life and work. Help me to follow you “simply, in faith, with humility and with love,” leaving the results to you. Amen. |