No Little Jobs
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
I so enjoy a good mystery. Whether it is a book, a bird or other critter I don’t recognize. I like doing the research to discover what I’ve found. Usually, I don’t forget it either. Lawrence Wilson (All God’s Creatures) has a most enjoyable story to share.
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“What are these?” I asked my wife, pointing to the little mounds of mud in the backyard.
“Maybe they’re mole holes,” she offered.
“No,” I said, “mole mounds are lower and made of loose dirt.” These were little mud towers, about five inches tall with a round opening at the top, like a mud volcano.
“Maybe snake holes?” she guessed. No again. For one thing, it would have to be a rather large snake, much bigger than the little garter snakes common to our area. And snakes don’t dig. We continued to puzzle over the cause of these mud mounds for several weeks. Finally, a neighbor enlightened us.
“It’s crayfish,” he said. “Seen it plenty of times. They burrow in the mud.”
I couldn’t believe it. The mounds were a least fifty yards from the creek bed. I’d never heard of a crayfish ranging that far. But they do. That part of our property was a floodplain, so the water table was very high. “So how come I’ve never seen one?” I asked.
“They are nocturnal,” he said. “Come out some evening with a flashlight; you might find one.”
We lived there for thirteen years, and I never once saw a crayfish. But every year, I saw the results of their work. Little mud volcanoes in the lower part of the yard.
When crows or coyotes come around, everyone knows about it. Their voices are sure to be heard. Many Christians are like that. They do their work in public, on the platform, or social media, or in video. And there’s a place for that. Others are more like burrowing crayfish. They are seldom seen, but their contributions are. There’s a place for that too.
Does the place you’re called to labor seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it, and He’ll not forget His own. —Katie L. Suffield