Whatever You Do, Do It Like This

Whatever You Do, Do It Like This  -christyfitzwater.com

My conclusion at the end of spring break: I am…different.

Partly I know this because of the look on my brother’s face when he found out I was listening to Grit: The Power of Passion And Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth, on my 12-hour drive to our mom’s house.

“No,” he said. “You should be listening to something fun. You’re on vacation.”

“This is fun,” I said. “I like to learn and think and be challenged.”

Eye roll.

Then there was my niece, who needed to practice her speech on a live audience. So I listened, and I gave feedback. While I was talking to her, my heart picked up speed, and I sat forward in my chair.

“This is so fun,” I thought. “Now this is vacation.”

And also I know I am different because I have Spanish flashcards by the toothpaste in the bathroom.

This is me, and I rarely do well at pretending I’m like all you normal folks, because of course I think the rest of you must be normal and I am the odd duck.

Teaching is the thing for me. Teaching in front of a class. Teaching one-on-one. Teaching with words on paper. Learning for myself so that I’m equipped to teach others. Thinking about lesson plans at 3:00 a.m. Practicing Spanish explanations in the car on my way to work. Scratching Bible study ideas on the nearest notebook. Throwing pens away because I keep running them out of ink.

So I want to hug Paul when I hear him say, “Whatever you do…”

Whatever.

Whatever is your thing. Whatever your task.

Whatever you do as a servant.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  (Colossians 3:23 NIV)

I know Paul is talking to slaves about having an excellent work ethic, whether they’re being watched or not being watched, and I just love that he doesn’t know exactly what they’ll be doing. One servant’s job will be different than another’s job.

“Whatever it is for you –do it with everything you’ve got,” he tells them.

Sit up. Open your eyes wide. Exert full energy. Push for excellence. Refuse to give up even when it’s hard. Put in overtime. Find ways to improve.

Grit, just like Angela talks about on my nerdy audiobook.

Do whatever work God has put in front of you (probably different work than what he has me doing) with grit, like you’re doing it for the Lord and not for anyone else.

 

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7 Comments

  1. Jeannette Shields says:

    The best part is God made us all unique /special /different from one another, but if you insist on being “an odd duck”, know this: you’re my favorite “odd duck” !!!!
    I really enjoy your blog.
    ♡♡♡

  2. Eloise Mycroft says:

    I like the way you think and write!! Your words are always an encouragement to me!
    Love, Eloise

  3. Love this posting and can EASILY identify with it. I have a trip coming up to visit with family. I KNOW I am so different and won’t fit in very well, but I keep returning to Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” and I see God’s hand in moving me down a path that is very different from the rest of my family, BUT it has made all the difference in my walk with God. So, it is okay that I am “different.”

  4. Love this, we all do it differently. I am a college math tutor and I am brushing up on my algebra. I love doing my homework! But mostly I love the relationships I get to form with my students, encouraging them and even getting to talk with some of them about the Lord!

    1. Oh math -you are definitely different than me! Give me words over numbers any day. 🙂

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