Remember the Trophies

 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

 

The trophies were everywhere in our house: on the book shelves, above the fireplace on the mantle; in the utility room; in boxes under every bed. Big ones. Little ones. Some with gold lettering and some with silver but all designed with the image of a dog standing on its hind legs at a tree, barking at a raccoon.

 

My husband was an avid hunter and spent considerable time and money on coon hunting in Missouri as well as other states. And he became quite good at it, as evidenced by the number of trophies in our home.

 

I was never able to understand the whole coon hunting experience. I truly tried. Once. There was just something about running around in the woods at night, listening to dogs barking on the trail of a coon in very cold weather that encouraged me NOT to hunt.

 

Not only did the hunting have zero appeal, the trophies did not seem like a big deal to me. But to my husband? To him, each one had a story to tell. A victory to share. “See that tall blue and gold trophy?” he would ask me. “That was the hunt in Nashville. I took a chance at the last minute with treeing my dog and won the whole event.”

 

Then he would point out another one: the trophy that was not quite as large but had a First Place plaque on it. “That’s when Smokey won the Iowa hunt. Got my name in the paper, too,” he would smile. And the red and silver trophy? “Best hunt ever in Kansas.”

 

Every trophy had a special memory for him because of the importance of what had happened at each hunt to obtain it. The trophies also served as a reminder of the successes he had and an encouragement to keep trying when a hunt ended not quite so successfully. But they were also a result of months of hard work as he trained his dogs to search for their prey and never give up.

 

Colossians 3:23 is a huge encouragement to us as Christians to put everything we have into sharing Jesus with the lost, no matter the response. We absolutely must work at it with every bit of energy that we possess. And we must never give up.

 

In this world, we are going to have victories and we are going to have defeats. Oh the victory when we send a note of encouragement to someone with cancer and they are refreshed! How exciting to share the power of the cross with someone who is spiritually lost and see her begin to understand the love of God.

 

And sometimes there is a defeat: the loved one who refuses to turn his life over to the Lord; the language we use when we are caught in slow traffic. But with each defeat, all we need to do is remember the victories – the “trophies” – and we are encouraged to keep trying to be Jesus to everyone around us, no matter how long it takes. 

 

I challenge you today, no matter where you are or what you are doing, to remember the “trophies” and keep working for the Lord with all your heart!

 

Father, thank you for your spiritual “trophies” to remind me of your victories whenever I face a defeat as I share you. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever been so focused on a spiritual defeat that you completely forgot your spiritual “trophies” or victories?

 

Apply

• The next time you are faced with a tough situation, picture those “trophies” or successes that you have had in the past and remember what God has done through you.

 

• Be encouraged by what you see and pray as you tackle new opportunities to win a “trophy” for the Lord.

 

Power

• Colossians 3:23 (NIV) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

 

• II Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

 

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”