What Makes the Difference

I had a friend and co-worker drop in the office last night shortly after 9pm. He was just getting back from attending the National Weather Association annual conference in Birmingham and wanted to tell me that he considered scaring me since he knew I was on shift.... Um, not cool.

After filling me in on the conference and recent happenings, he proceeded to tell me that I was the best watchstander out of the five. Not to boast, but I was appreciative of the compliment and admitted that there are still days when I am overwhelmed with how little I still know. It was encouraging to hear. He continued to talk about my other co-workers in their order of rank. But the other two he mentioned that were near the top, I agreed. The bottom two, I have had quiet gripes with because of their lack of effort on things... how there is not a lot of drive to go above and beyond, to do more that just get-by with their job requirements.
And my friend stated, "Makes a difference when you're a Christian."

So true! Some people are "good" people and care about their efforts. But those of us who are children of God, those of us who are followers of Christ the Savior, it is slightly different. We are not only working for our bosses, for our companies, and for a paycheck. We are not only trying to do well to ensure our job status and to keep others off of our backs. We're working for Something bigger, Something way more important than recognition and money. We are called to do our best, our best for God. My goal is to please Him above anyone else that I work for, although it is nice to please those people too. Sometimes I catch myself not wanting to flag bad data (which is a tedious task) or letting this or that slip by. But I cannot do it! There's a soft voice that reminds me, "But you should do it, Jaclyn." Sometimes there is a "yeah!" response. Sometimes there is a huff and puff. But I am called to do my best for Christ in all areas of my life. Although I am not always successful (and that's probably an understatement), I am committed to try.

So what makes a difference? Christ. And He is root of everything "different" and purposeful.