By: Sarah Geringer
I remember the day God told me, “You are seen and valued.”
That morning, tears stung my eyes but didn’t fall. My job had become more demanding as the school’s enrollment exploded. I sighed heavily as I considered the mountain of calls, emails, files and letters waiting for me.
One early morning in August 2015, I sat at the kitchen table with my One Year Bible and a cup of hot tea, waiting on a word of comfort from God.
I had recently resumed my work as a school secretary. The hard gear shift between peaceful pace of summer and the breakneck speed of the new school year was already depleting me in the first week.That morning, tears stung my eyes but didn’t fall. My job had become more demanding as the school’s enrollment exploded. I sighed heavily as I considered the mountain of calls, emails, files and letters waiting for me.
Worse than the heavy workload, I could no longer bear the burden of feeling invisible.
Almost everyone expected me to know everything right away, multitask perfectly, and deliver with five-star customer service. Few people stopped to connect with me, the real person behind the desk.
My assigned New Testament reading that morning came from 1 Corinthians. The apostle Paul was describing the many parts of the body of Christ. He explained how all parts need each other for the body to work properly.
God sees all of our services - public or private - as necessary and important.I felt like a machine, not a person, valued mainly for performance. I was “just” a secretary, without a teacher’s status or an administrator’s authority.
When I read the words “weakest and least important” in 1 Corinthians 12:22, I thought, “That’s me—weakest and least important.”
But God corrected me: “No. You are most necessary.”
He spoke quietly to me, pointing out ways my job affected every other person at the school. No one else there could say the same.
God whispered to me, “You are the heart of this place.”
I thought about my own heart. How utterly unseen it is, yet how vital it is for the well-being of every single cell in my body. It doesn’t garner attention like my outer parts. But my heart is most necessary for every part to function properly.
My tears finally fell in gratitude for the truth God shared with me. That verse carried me through the rest of my time at that job.
I now feel seen and valued by God, and I now try to honor others in unseen jobs.
- I say hello to the woman refilling paper towels in the stadium bathroom.
- I attempt eye contact with every cashier.
- I greet the man stocking the store shelves.
- I go out of my way to show kindness to secretaries, especially those in schools.
These people are the unseen hearts keeping life flowing in our communities. Will you join me in helping them know they are most necessary?
Blessings and God's peace to you,
Photo from Canva.com
Discussion questions:
- What jobs do you hold that make you feel invisible or not valued? Consider how God feels about those jobs, and take His feelings to heart.
- Who do you know that has a job that is unseen? How can you affirm their value today?
Note: A version of this post originally appeared on this site on 5.4.2018.
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