Volhou, uithou, aanhou

Volhou, uithou, aanhou

So tussendeur die groetery, spring een ou se naam by Paulus op: Argippus. Maar vir hom stuur Paulus nie groete nie. Nee, hy moedig hom aan om sy roeping ten volle uit te leef en dit tot die einde ernstig op te neem: 17En, o ja, sê asseblief vir Argippus dat hy moet volhou met die taak wat die Here vir hom gegee het. Hy moet sorg dat hy dit klaarmaak.

So moet ons almal die taak wat God ons opgelê het weer bekyk. Ons moet seker  maak dat ons nie êrens langs die pad ’n verkeerde afdraai gemaak het en dalk nou op die verkeerde pad sit nie. Onthou, ons almal het ’n spesiale roeping van God. Elkeen is hier op die aarde geplaas om ’n spesiale taak vir God te doen. Die vraag is of jy dit nog doen?

Omstandighede kan ’n mens baie vinnig weglok van jou roeping. Sommige kere voel dit asof daar nie veel resultate is nie. Nee, eintlik voel dit of ’n mens in trurat loop. So kom my vrou vele Donderdagaande baie mismoedig tuis vanaf ’n plaas hier in die Boland waar sy met ’n projek vir tieners besig is. Dan wonder sy of dit alles die moeite werd is, want dit lyk nie eintlik of daar vordering is nie.

Omstandighede kan jou roeping doodmaak met die gevolg dat jy tou opgooi. Dikwels fokus ons só op die resultate of liewers die gebrek daaraan dat ons al ons energie verloor. Dit is hier waar ons die aanmoediging van Paulus ernstig moet opneem en tot op die einde alles moet insit om ons roeping uit te leef.

Moenie op die resultate fokus nie, want dit gaan jou heel waarskynlik mismoedig laat. Ons sien in ieder geval nie die volle prentjie nie. Dalk, net dalk slaan daar iets by iemand vas en die persoon kom tot inkeer. Fokus eerder op God en maak seker dat jy binne die wil van God optree. Maak seker dat jy genoeg energie insit, want as jy getrou is, sal God die saad wat jy saai laat opkom.

Dalk kan jy nes ek, baie uit die volgende verhaal leer (skrywer onbekend):

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s mind: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.” Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. “Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough.”

And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord”, he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? “Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. “I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

Laat ’n mens dink!

Teks

Kolossense 4:7-18

Om oor na te dink

Wat is jou roeping?

Waar is werk nodig?

Gebed

Vader, help my om die taak wat U my gegee het ywerig te doen tot die einde. Ek wil graag betroubaar en bruikbaar wees vir U. Amen.