Work –n- Progress

The following is a journal of my thoughts before and during a recent weekend trip; I was prompted to log my thoughts when it occurred to me the analogies associated with the phrase ‘Work in Progress’.

This phrase can be interpreted in several ways. At our local church, we use it as the name for our Sunday school class. We realize that we are in the process of becoming more like Christ:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philip. 1:6

Additionally, the majority of us have children and learning to give good instruction is definitely a Work –n- Progress but, a different meanings for this phrase came to mind during this trip to do work on a former church member’s new home. This person has sacrificed all to follow Christ in mission work for North Carolina residents in need of disaster relief:

Day 1 November 14, 2005

The day began like most others with a 4:50am alarm. Before planting my feet on the ground I call out to God in prayer thanking Him for who He is, for another day and asked for His will in my life. During the day I anticipated the trip to North Carolina, wondering what the work would entail; hoping that this trip would make a difference for the family. I left my place of employment two hours early and went home to pack. At 6:00pm we met at our local church to carpool. Six men, with one teenager in tow, headed off for an approximately 6-hour drive.

As always, when riding in a vehicle, I inwardly pray for God’s protection and safe travel, ‘the covering;’ I never leave home without it. The conversation was very uplifting as we talked about family and got to know each other better. I listened to music, at times, that reminded me of my wife; it was wonderful to meditate on how our relationship has grown; yet another Work –n- Progress. We arrived at “The Compound” at 11:45pm. The compound is the name we coined for the disaster relief center as we were being locked in the fenced facility for the night. A whimsical joke was made about “Kool-Aid” as the gate was being secured; referenced a infamous cult that had a compound. After the initial greetings we were signed in and placed in the dorms for the night.

Day 2 November 15, 2005

Waking at 6:15am after a restless sleep I thanked God and prayed for His guidance, safety during the day. At breakfast, 7:00am, we enjoyed meeting the whole family and had a short time of devotion; the theme being, ‘Live as if Christ is coming now’. Right before the breakfast, while reading a New Testament Bible from a near-by table, I was drawn to John 17 verse 4. Mentioning this to the group I relayed that this verse would be good incentive for our weekend and on our deathbeds also:

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4

This revealed anew that we are to be doing God’s work while we are here, Work –n- Progress. We joked that we would not be able to leave the compound until we finished restoring the home; an impossible task in just two days. The day of work began and the longer we worked the more I began to identify with mission work. What we were doing to his home is the very thing he was doing for so many others in North Carolina; an unending life of sacrifice; Work always –n- Progress day after day.

At lunchtime, and beginning to feel the aches from using muscles not usually worked, we sat and had a wonderful meal. We contemplated looking into this kind of ministry in Maryland and planned to follow-up on locating volunteer services. Afterward, we were back to work until about 6:00pm. The compassion, desires, and will to complete as much of the restoration as possible became evident on our faces as we looked upon the task at hand. Through some minor setbacks we finally got some hope of normalcy in living arrangements in the home. Dinner was served and subsequently we returned to the dorm and had an enlightened 2-hour talk about theological issues until 11:30pm. We finally decided to work on getting some sleep.

Day 3 November 16, 2005

Being sore from the previous day, I slept very sound but was up at 4:30am and could not get back to sleep. After prayer, I climbed off the bunk, grabbed my prayer list and Bible and went of the room. I prayed for the married, singles, the persecuted, ministries, those in physical and spiritual need and many others on the list. I try to remain faithful in continuous intercession on their behalf to the only One able to meet their every need. At about 6:00am, others began to arouse and we talked a little. Part of what I thought during the talk was:

• Christians have more in common than we realize
• God is the author of differences
• He is able to address each of us individually and simultaneously
• God is at Work –n- He is always making Progress

We contemplated whether or not to attend a local church service but decided against. We only had a short time to work on restoring the home. I concluded, “It is right to do good on the Lord’s day”, a day set aside to do His work is worship, Work –n- Progress.

After 7:00am breakfast we are off to work again knowing we had a 2:00pm deadline as some had appointments to make in Maryland at 9:00pm, and a few unfortunate ones had to work at their place of employment on Monday. I am blessed, being a government worker, to be off in honor of Martin Luther King. It was a bitter-sweet conclusion of the trip as we wished we could do more; even though we advanced the restoration a great deal.

Heavenly Father, I pray for the protection, guidance and strength to endure for this family as they give their all for Jesus. May You bless them and give them rest as they seek a temple, not made by man but by God. Help us Lord as we strive to “finish the work You’ve given us to do” in Jesus name, Amen.

We returned home to our local church at 8:00pm. The trip back was reflective with additional conversation on various topics. This trip gave me an even greater appreciation for what I have and the right perspective about material things. While they are necessary, they really are quite minor. It’s really all about relationships. The family was more thankful that we made an effort to come, the work accomplished was a bonus. Relationships, I need work in that area; Work –n- Progress.

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