Tag Archive for: Colossians 3:23–24

God Never Skips Over You

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Colossians 3:23–24 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

Sunflower seeds, red dirt, and Gatorade. That was the theme of my childhood summers.

I can still smell the nacho cheese from the concession stand and see the red lips of other kids eating snowballs by the bleachers. Everything about those days stuck—on my cleats, in my memory, in who I was becoming.

Those days playing softball was where I learned how to work with others, how to win well, and how to lose without falling apart.

That is, I thought I had learned it until the all-star list went up.

We were all crowded around the bulletin board. I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, pretending not to care as much as I did. One by one, the names were called out. I leaned in.

And then it was over.

My name was not there.

I blinked, waited, and checked again. Maybe they skipped a line. Maybe someone forgot something. But they had not. They just… did not choose me.

I stood still. My face burned. I could feel my throat get tight. Everyone else was laughing and hugging. I just stared at the list offended. I had been one of the best on the team. At least, I thought I was.

By the time we got back to the car, I was quiet in that heavy way you are when you feel hurt. My arms were crossed, eyes out the window. I hoped no one would say anything.

But later on, my dad came to me, handed me my glove, and said, “Let’s get to work.” There was no lecture, no pity, just steady love.

So, I kept going.

That year I worked harder, not to prove them wrong, but to become someone who did not give up so easily. The next season, I was the starting pitcher.

Looking back now, I think God used that moment to teach me the kind of lesson you can’t learn when everyone is clapping for you. He used it to show me that being overlooked by people does not mean being unseen by Him.

If you are walking through something similar—feeling forgotten, wondering if any of it matters—please hear this. It does matter. You matter. You matter even when no one calls your name.

The invitation is not to quit or to prove them wrong. It is to put in the work, to trust who God says you are, and to grow like it is true.

Because it is.

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More Than Just a Job

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Colossians 3:23–24  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

He had never been one to sit still.

Right out of high school, Cliff went straight to work at the GE factory. It was hard work—long hours, heavy lifting—but it felt good to build a life with his own hands. He stayed there for twenty years.

Until one day, it was over.

The shutdown had been looming for months, but nothing prepared him for that final walk out. There would be no more clocking in and no more steady paycheck. There was just a clean locker and a lot of unanswered questions.

He tried to stay ahead of it. He sent out applications and made phone calls, but doors stayed shut. When he sat down at the kitchen table that night, Cliff felt like he had let his family down.

He remembered something his pastor had said about trusting God to meet their needs, so he said a simple prayer. Just, “Lord, I need help.”

The next morning, the phone rang. It was his pastor. The janitor at church had just retired, and they needed someone to step in. They were also starting a building project and needed help managing it. It meant more hours, more responsibility, and more pay than Cliff had made at the factory.

He said yes.

At first, it just felt like a job. But over time, he began to see the fingerprints of God everywhere. It was there in the quiet early mornings before the lights came on and in the way people worshiped in a clean, welcoming space that felt safe.

And he realized something: this was ministry.

God does not waste any space He gives us to stand in. Whether you hold a Bible or a broom, you have a platform to serve people and point them to Jesus.

Believe me, you do not have to chase something “bigger” to make an impact.

Just be faithful where you are.

That is where He works best.

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