The Accomplishment That Mattered

Scripture:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
—Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

Reflection:

Yesterday, I had a plan. We are moving into a new house, and I intended to have all my clothes moved before the day ended. But after seven nights without sleeping well, exhaustion caught up with me. Other responsibilities got in the way, and this morning I woke up frustrated by everything I had failed to complete.

Then God reminded me of what I had accomplished.

At a gas station, I noticed a young woman who seemed burdened. I initially drove away without saying anything, but the Holy Spirit continued pressing on my heart: “Go back. Tell her that God loves her and that she is special just as she is.”

I resisted for a while, but eventually turned around. Thankfully, she was still there. When I told her that God loved her and that she was special, her face lit up with a genuine smile. Her eyes gleamed as she thanked me.

Later, at that same gas station, I saw a man carrying his belongings in trash bags. He looked hot and tired. I gave him some money, but God showed me that the greatest thing I could offer was not money—it was kindness, dignity, and the assurance that someone saw him and cared.

Money may meet an immediate need, but a compassionate word can reach a wounded heart.

By my standards, I did not accomplish what I wanted yesterday. But by God’s standards, I accomplished what He asked of me. I listened. I turned around. I encouraged someone. I showed kindness—and I grew spiritually.

That was the accomplishment that truly mattered.

Encouragement:

When your day does not go according to plan, do not measure it only by what remains unfinished. Pause and ask, “Lord, what did You accomplish in me or through me today?”

You may discover that while your checklist remained incomplete, God used you to encourage someone, meet a need, or remind a hurting person that they are seen and loved.

A completed task may improve someone’s day, but an act of obedience can touch eternity.

—
-Rev Carlos Figueroa
TheFreeBible.Org.