To work, to serve, to labor, and to worship

Wow! Best day ever! Until tomorrow, at least; I’m pretty sure I think each day is better than the last! Of course, each day is so different and difficult to compare. We are staying in beautiful bungalows right off the Sea of Galilee—a shocking sight to wake up to! I can’t stop asking myself, “Is this real?” You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but each day is such a blessing!

In the morning we went to a ridge near Nazareth where Jesus grew up, and talked about so many of the Old Testament stories that occurred around the Jezreel Valley. He would have had a great view of examples of stories showing God’s love and power. Stacie told us it is always good to get high to gain perspective.

Next we went to the Sepphoris Quarry where we talked about Jesus’ life before His ministry began. There’s a large gap from Jesus’ birth to 30 years old in the gospels, so what happened during this time period? We can only speculate, but we know He learned the trade of carpentry/architecture from His father. History tells us there was a large city being built 3 miles away from Nazareth called Sepphoris for 14 years while Jesus was growing up. With an educated guess, it would make sense that Jesus may have worked with Joseph to help build the city of Sepphoris.

If Jesus helped build the huge city, would He have ever thought He was overqualified? Of course this is all just speculation, but it does raise a question of how we are serving God in whatever we are doing. Often we may feel that some jobs are more pleasing to God than others such as pastor vs. plummer. But, we learned today about the Hebrew word “avad,” which is used in four different placed in the old testament meaning to work, to serve, to labor, and to worship. All of these are the same word! Colossians 3:17 tells us that WHATEVER we do we should work at with all our heart. When we do this, it is the Lord we are serving.

I come from a humble background as a daughter of a dairy farmer. This was not a glorious life, but I learned so much from my parents about working hard and praising God in the everyday moments. I did some dirty jobs working with cows, but it wasn’t about what task I was doing, it was about Who I was working for! I was able to create so many unique relationships with co-workers who lived very different lives than me. This idea of praise in the workplace has carried over to my job in Grand Valley food service—definitely not an outstanding line of work. Working there, however, has allowed me the opportunity to be a light to many students on Grand Valley’s campus just by trying to work my hardest and show a love for God. I hope to continue learning how to “avad” as my relationship grows deeper in Christ. He is the one I live for, and the one I want to give glory to each day!

After the Quarry, we walked a portion of the International Coastal Highway from Nazareth to Capernum. This is still the ancient road that Jesus would have walked often. Sprinkles of rain fell upon us, to our amazement, because in this season, there is usually a 0% chance of rain everyday. This rain brought us a beautiful rainbow that made us stop in the trail in awe (and to take pictures, of course). While following the trail, I found myself in conversation with many people in our group, talking about everything under the sun. We walked about 8 miles and had plenty of time for laughter and serious conversation along the way. During this hike, I realized how often Jesus walked and how many miles He must have went with people He cared about. There was so much time for Him to talk with His friends! It’s great to think about casual conversation Jesus would have had.

Today was full of reminders of God’s promises. Cannot wait for another fantastic day tomorrow. Have a great night, and baby, you’re a firework.

Love Ann Smit and Eric Drew