Resounding Gong

“Blah blah blah blah… and BLAH…” that’s how I thought I sounded as I taught the first graders yesterday. I thought, “God, I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m just going through the motion just for the sake of doing so!”

Then I added, “Lord, I want to teach with joy regardless if I like who I’m teaching or what I’m teaching.”

Unknowingly, God answered my prayer the moment I taught my students the lesson that was intended for me. It wasn’t until I got to my apartment and turned down the world’s volume that I recognized His voice and His leading.

For the past two weeks, my lesson to the first graders was on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.  Weeks before that, God had also led me to the same verse and last night was no different. It appeared on this book I borrowed and the chapter was on love. I know I have yet to grasp each word that He intends for me to learn, but what caught my attention this time was vs. 1:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

What am I doing wrong to feel convicted about this?

When we love, it tends to be choosy or selective. It tends to be conditional. Work has been a great blessing to me - Praise God for this amazing gift! However, there are times when I feel like a resounding gong just to get work done. Why? Because when I like what I do, I am capable of giving my 101% but when it's something that does not interest me, I sacrifice excellent output just to get it over and done with. To accomplish a task without love and purpose is drudgery. Verses 2 and 3 has the same idea as vs. 1: the things you do, even if it may appear that what you do is spiritual or glorifying to the Lord, if you do not love, “you are nothing.”

In my own words, “If I teach, but do not have love, I am merely a resounding gong as I yap about pronouns and nouns.”

If I expand this teaching to other things, I know that it teaches me that love is not selective. Love is a choice. Why should I love my job or the people in my life? Because they're gifts to me.

How do you know if you love what you do or love someone?

When you CHOOSE…

- to be patient with the task/ assignment/ person

- to be kind to the person…

- to be humble

- to not take advantage of others

- to be selfless

- to forget about the past

- to rejoice with the truth about the task or about the person

- to protect

- to trust

- to hope

- to persevere

My prayer is that I mirror the love of Jesus in all aspects of life. Jesus was not selective when He died for you and me. He chose to love. I want to choose to love my job, my family, and my friends regardless if I like it or not. 

Do you feel as though you're a resounding gong or clanging cymbal as you go about your daily routine? How about when you relate to the people in your life? How can you change the melody to the way you relate to the blessings God has given you?