So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. (Gen. 3:23)
When Adam walked with God in the cool of the day, he enjoyed the gardens he himself tended. He had been given work that was valuable, caring for all God had made for their enjoyment and nourishment. While it held responsibility, it did not hold the painful toil that Adam would later discover outside the garden walls. In response to Adam and Eve’s sin and the relationship division their sin had caused, Adam’s days would now be filled with sweat and exhaustion, as he strived to make things right.
There is no striving for approval when we are in right relationship with God. When we walk with him in integrity and transparency, we do not feel as though we have to labor to measure up. Instead, we can serve joyfully, hands extended to receive his gracious and unmerited favor. We can then turn and pour it into our work in each moment of the day. We can find opportunities to extend mercy, handle grievances with kindness, and see beyond what we are doing to perceive the current and eternal value in it. We are able to walk in gratitude for the work of our hands and extend worship back to God for his provision.
The next time you feel overwhelmed with the everyday grind, spend time making things right with the Lord, and then turn your work to worship.
Offer your work today to the Lord as an act of worship.
Elizabeth Rhyno is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, worship pastor, and advocate for the wholeness and restoration God generously gives.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.