Charlie's Angels

When I was a little girl, I loved to watch Charlie’s Angels on TV. Three beautiful young ladies showed up to work in glamorous clothes, heels, and fabulous hair. They got their daily assignments from an unseen boss who spoke to them through a speakerphone. Each of these ladies knew her strengths and tackled the day’s tasks according to her own skill sets. This is what I wanted to be when I grew up. Specifically, I wanted to be Sabrina Duncan—the ‘smart one’ of the bunch.

Well…things worked out a bit differently than I imagined. I became a wife and full-time mom. Most days I wear tennis shoes and running clothes and pull my hair back in a ponytail so it is out of my way. I do get my orders from an unseen boss, but sometimes I ignore these instructions and pursue my own interests. I’m still unsure of my strengths and skills. This leads to all sorts of complications. I take on things I have no business doing, while leaving other responsibilities undone.

 “We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.” (1 Cor. 3:5-9 MSG)

We are each allotted different roles according to God’s purpose. Every day we face a mountain of responsibilities. We are accountable for only some of these tasks while the rest is divided among others. When we take on duties that are assigned to others, we end up neglecting our own designated calling. We also shortchange others from deriving satisfaction from fulfilling their own potential.

Sometimes I feel like my role is trivial and insignificant. This causes me to take on projects that are not assigned to me. When faced with menial chores, I ask myself: Is this worth my time and energy? Shouldn’t I be doing something more with my life? Well, what makes anything worth doing? As long as we are truly serving God and working according to God’s purposes, then what we do is worthwhile.