Who's the boss?

There's a new manager at work. This means lots of little changes to our daily and weekly routines, as the manager looks at our store from a fresh perspective - a clean slate.

It's got me thinking of some of Jesus' parables about landowners and vineyard owners. Several deal with the owner going away for a little while, entrusting his property to others, and then coming back and seeing how well his servants did in his absence.

When the boss comes back to work the workers must be on their toes, because any sign of slacking and the boss quickly cracks the whip and lets them know they need to speed it up. This isn't because the boss is a big ol' meanie and purposely chooses to only see the negatives, it's because the boss knows the status quo and what is helpful and hurtful for productivity.

When Jesus - rightful King of the Jews - came to earth He did not run things as the disciples hoped He would. He rode in on a humble donkey instead of conquering on a white horse. He made enemies of the religious leaders instead of sucking up to them to get their support. He ate with known sinners and those unpopular with proper Jewish society. He boldly told his followers to take up their crosses and follow Him.

Even after following Him for three years, the disciples still didn't understand what Jesus expected of them. After His death and resurrection, where did Jesus find his disciples? Some were hiding out, scared. Some had already returned to their old jobs! It had only been three days!

This is the struggle of every believer. What does God want me to do? What is His calling for me? After asking that question long enough and not being able to discern an answer... sometimes we want to just lay low for a while. Sometimes we go back to previous dreams.

But God has already called us. Our mission is to proclaim the gospel, making disciples throughout the world. Now, whatever way we choose to do it is up to our particular station in life and the unique opportunities given to us. Some travel great distances, others are able to share the gospel at home or in their local coffee shop.

So, back to those with the discouraged dreams, the seeming lack of communication from God. I've been there. In some senses, I'm still there... but I'm running back in the right direction every day. But just as in the parable of the vineyard workers, it's never too late. Of course, God never promises it will be easy. He's the boss, after all. It's gonna take work. If you shy away from God and then turn back to him, you won't always be comforted immediately. Sometimes it will be very hard to obey him and do what he wants. But in the end, it will be worth it.

I promise.