Just a Simple Shovel

While reading a classmate's blog this evening, I was blessed to be reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

My classmate, who leaves for Zambia as a missionary in three days, reflected on this passage, reminding herself and friends that we are simply "shovels" in the hands of God. I love this imagery.

Shovels. In reality, WE do not do accomplish anything. That is, by ourselves. God must pick us up, dust us off, and set us into motion Himself before we can be of any use. I think that many people, especially baby missionaries like myself, can be in danger of getting lost in the problems and spiritual needs of the world, and end up subconsciously forgetting that we are the shovel in the hands of God, not the other way around.

Despite being "nothing" according to Paul, he still surprisingly tells us that we are God's "fellow workers," and that we will be rewarded according to our own labor. This reveals the beautiful love of our Heavenly Father towards us, that He would allow us the great joy of helping Him build His Kingdom.

I am getting more and more excited to be God's shovel in Ecuador soon. I can't wait to watch Him plant seeds of Life in many hearts and watch Him cause growth in the hearts of others (both in Ecuador and in future places). My prayer for myself and all believers tonight is that we would never forget our role as God's "shovels," and that we would always remember what an amazing blessing that simple role truly is.