Simple Tasks, February 2
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Justin Wood
“‘What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.” “I will not,” he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, “I will, sir,” but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?’ ‘The first,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you’” (Matthew 21:28-31 NIV).
“I WILL NOT GO TODAY!” I yelled, as my head swam and my gut was churning. “WELL, YOU ARE A TERRIBLE FRIEND FOR NOT GOING!” I yelled back at myself.
Thankfully, no one was hearing this screaming match—because it was all inside my head. But anyone could see that I was agitated. I had these fights with myself frequently because my friend’s stage four colon cancer demanded frequent chemo days. I wanted to be there to support him, but something about his chemo days reminded me too much of my own chemo days. I struggled just to show up to support him.
I love Jesus’ short story in today’s verse. Here is the simple message from these two brothers: Do the tasks that are in front of you. A successful life in God’s Kingdom is taking simple actions toward the tasks you have in front of you.
Here is why I love this story even more. Jesus knows that a simple task can be difficult, given your attitudes, others’ attitudes, finding motivation, etc. The obstacles may seem so overwhelming that you refuse to do the simple task in front of you. You may hate the task in front of you. You may complain way too much about the task in front of you. Just take your negative attitude in hand and do the task; you will be glad you did.
The tax collectors and prostitutes did the simple task in front of them (repent, change their minds). It was a simple but difficult task. But when they took that next step in their lives, they were actually ahead of all the religious people who were not doing their simple tasks.
The next step? Look for the next simple action Jesus has placed before you:
When you have a task (big or small), just do the thing in front of you.
If you have a lot of tasks, decide which one or two are the most critical.
If you are struggling to deal with daily life, start with one simple thing—making your bed, or taking a shower or washing the dishes.
If you persevere to be faithful in the tasks God gives you today, then you will experience the blessings of life in God’s Kingdom—His way of doing things.
Pray: Jesus, almost all the things on my to-do list seem so unimportant, but they give me the opportunity to live my life experiencing Your presence. Give me the strength to trust Your ways. May I be faithful to do the things You have for me today. Amen.
Your Turn: Keep it simple! Ask the Lord to show you which task on your to-do list you do not need to do today.
Justin Wood, Childhood Cancer Survivor
Justin lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his wife and six homeschooled kids. Through his life, Justin has become a wonderful mix of entrepreneur, English teacher, and foreign missionary. He is a survivor of childhood cancer. Justin is very grateful for Cancer Companions and the opportunity to be a part of this devotional writing process.
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