Recently we held a staff retreat for IMM’s team. As a way to get to know each other better, we each answered a question about the worst job we’ve had in the past.
I shared about a time I helped in the remodeling of my home church in Florida. The interior of the sanctuary was supported by large, arched laminated wooden beams that had been painted. Our pastor who was leading the renovation thought they would look much better if the original wood grain was visible. To make that happen, he decided we’d remove the paint and refinish them.
This proved to be a massive undertaking that took several weeks. Sections of scaffolding had to be set up to access the full height of the arches. All of an area that could be reached was brushed with a caustic paint remover and when the surface bubbled and softened, we scraped it with a sharpened tool. When the paint was cleaned off from that section, the scaffolding had to be moved to the next and the process repeated. And repeated. And repeated…
It was a very messy job. Globs of caustic paint residue and wood shavings were unavoidable and sometimes you would accidentally sit on some causing irritation to “sensitive” body parts. And the fumes! Working at heights in an enclosed, unairconditioned space in Florida’s heat and humidity was not exactly pleasant anyway, but the addition of chemical smells made it extra “special”. But, eventually, in spite of the difficulties, all the paint was removed, a wood stain applied and the result looked great!
As I shared that story, it dawned on me that I had once been a “church stripper”! No, not that kind of stripper, but it was a dirty job nonetheless. And it reminded me of several important lessons. One is that God uses messy situations and dirty jobs to shape and refine our lives. Serving God is not a guarantee of perfect circumstances or a problem-free existence. The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 66:10-12: “God, you have tested us; you have purified us like silver. You let us be trapped and put a heavy load on us. You let our enemies walk on our heads. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place with good things.”
Another lesson is that change usually requires hard work and it may be a painful process. It’s easy when things are hard to lose sight of the bigger picture. We can get so enmeshed in details, challenges and “stuff” that we become discouraged. Galatians 6:9 tells us that “We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up.”
Perhaps the greatest lesson is that our past does not have to define our future. Real change is possible and meaningful purpose is available because of what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives. Titus 2:14 says, “He gave himself for us so he might pay the price to free us from all evil and to make us pure people who belong only to him—people who are always wanting to do good deeds.”
At IMM we have a diverse team with unique life stories and experiences. All of us have struggled with various issues and survived “dirty jobs”. God is working through and sometimes despite those things. He loves us and calls us to serve the nations and each other. Maybe he’s asking you to get your hands dirty and help us put Jesus On Every Screen!