Valerie Rae Hanneman
Philippians 3:14 “My eyes are on the prize. I want to win the race and get the prize of God's call from heaven through Christ Jesus.” (NLV)
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So if you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to honor God. “ (NLV)
I am fortunate to have a job that I truly love and in which I am fairly successful. I have had to work hard for my success in my chosen field and it hasn’t been easy. I am the Financial Director of a not-for-profit law firm. The minimum requirements for my position include a degree in accounting. I don’t have that degree. I don’t even have a 2 year degree from a city college. What I do have is a few college credits in office skills and bookkeeping. The simple truth is I am not qualified to be in the position that I am in. But here I am anyway. How did a person with no qualifications get herself in a highly qualified position? Determination and a commitment to excellence. From my very first bookkeeping/secretary job in a 1 person office to supervising the finances of a $4.5 million law firm and a staff of three, I have been determined to learn more than I knew and I have been committed to doing the best job that I could do. When I had gained enough experience in the 1 person office I found a job in a larger company. Although I was hired to do the simplest bookkeeping I determined to learn the other financial positions as well. Even as I learned the other jobs I made sure that mine was done to the best of my ability. When an opening came up I was promoted and then promoted again. When I came to CCLS as a full-charge bookkeeper I employed the same work ethic. And when the job for the Financial Director opened up I was hired - even though I was definitely did not meet the minimum requirements. That was 18 years ago. A lot has changed in 18 years. The department is bigger - the work is harder. But what has not changed is my commitment to excellence in my job. I still work hard to be the best that I can be because my ability to provide for myself and my children depends on this job.
Most of us have things that we take pride in excelling in. Some people excel in a favorite hobby. Some people excel in music, others in cooking, others in clock making and still others in body building (think of the governator - Ahrnold - under this last category!). Regardless of what we are interested in - we try to excel in it. It is a good thing to strive to excel at something - regardless of what it is. I think that it is in our nature as human beings to try to be the best that we can be.
I wonder though - how many of us strive to be excellent - how many of us are committed to excellence in our service to God? Do we place as much importance on the ministry we are involved in as we do the requirements of our job? How many teachers open their lesson plan the night before - or worse - have our children read it to us as we drive to the church and yet think nothing of spending hours combing through antique stores looking for that perfect little addition to our collection? How many of us spend a few moments in prayer for our ministries and spend overtime hours at our job?
Last year was a really rough year for me when it came to Care Fresno Kids Klub. It was my seventh year in the ministry and I was getting tired of it. Attendance was down - the kids weren’t really engaged in what we were doing. Even as I was outwardly talking up the ministry - telling Pastor that I was committed to it - inwardly I was thinking that maybe it’s time had come. I lost my heart’s commitment to the ministry. I was still faithful to it - there every night that it met. But I often chose the Bible Story I was going to teach just an hour or so before I taught it. Many times my son read the story to me as we were headed out to the church. My prayers were, “If it is Your will that we close, LORD, so be it.” The worst part was that - as lead volunteer of the ministry - my lack of commitment to excellence in this ministry rubbed off on the rest of the team. When the end of the school year came I was not the only member of the team that thought we were finished. I was trying hard to figure out how to tell Willie that I was done. Then one night at our “Movies on the Lawn” Little Rachel came up behind me and gave me a great big hug, “Hi Miss Valerie! Guess what! I am old enough to come to Kid’s Klub.” Rachel had been waiting for over a year to be old enough to come to Care Fresno and here I was thinking about closing it. Talk about God thumping you one right in the heart! I went home that night and for the first time in a long time quit telling Father that it was okay with me if He wanted to close the ministry and instead starting asking Him what He wanted me to do in the ministry. His answer was clear - He had called me to Care Fresno all those years ago for a reason - and I may have changed my mind - but He had not changed His. When Care Fresno opened this year it was with a renewed commitment to excellence by me first - and now by all of the leadership team.
And it shows in the ministry. The ministry that was practically dead is once again growing and vibrant. Not because God changed His mind but because He changed my heart and renewed my commitment to excellence in my service.
God honors excellence and He is honored by our excellence.
It is good to be committed to excellence in our jobs - in our cooking - in our body-building. That commitment also honors God and is honored by God. But never at the expense of our service to Him. After all, the things of earth will all pass away and only He will remain. And of all the things we have excelled at - strived for - worked for - only those things that honored Him will remain. I am committed to excellence first in my service to Him and then in the other parts of my life because on that great and glorious day when all the straw of my life is burned away and only that which was excellent remains - I get to lay it at His feet and look into His wonderful eyes and say, “I love You.” There can be no greater joy.
LORD, sometimes we lose focus and commitment to the ministries You have called us to. Pull us back, renew our hearts, give us a fresh vision. Remind us that all will pass away and only what we have done in Your service will remain.
Contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at September 17, 2004 08:58 PM