Well Done or Well Known
Good Morning,
We live in an age where through the power of social media, television, and radio, people otherwise unnoticed, can become widely known. Some are known because of significant good they have done. Unfortunately, others for the harm and destruction they have caused.
In Christian circles we can also be prone to promoting the stories of those who have miraculous testimonies of transformation. We invite them to speak, blog and join a podcast. Don’t get me wrong, these are certainly worthy of sharing. The caution I’d offer however, is that people whose stories of transformation and obedience aren’t well known often don’t get celebrated. Yet these kinds of stories are far more common and no less worthy of recognition.
In Exodos chapter one we read the names of two women who I bet you haven’t paid much attention to. Their names are Shiphrah and Puah and they acted courageously out of reverence for God. These two women were midwives who helped the Hebrew women during childbirth. The king of Egypt had become so fearful at the growth of the Hebrew people that he instructed these two women to kill any newborn male child.
Despite the risk to themselves they made the courageous choice to honor God and not commit this atrocity. The king was dismayed by their actions, and he came to them a second time questioning their behavior. Again, he commands them to murder all newborn boys. In their resourcefulness, they told the king it was simply not possible.
The Bible says God was kind to these women and even gave them families of their own. The Hebrew people continued to multiply despite on-going persecution. Then in Exodus chapter two we read the remarkable story of the birth of Moses into this dangerous climate. We don’t know how many others were inspired by the actions of these women, but perhaps Moses’ own mother was one. What we do know is that God used Shiphrah and Puah and was pleased with them.
There are many stories in Scripture of ordinary people who were faithful in obedience but didn’t get a lot of attention, and still don’t. That makes their lives no less remarkable or impactful. The same is true for your life. You may not have a dramatic salvation story or tale of miraculous life change. Yet your day-by-day faithfulness is precious to God and a powerful example for others in their own journey. Every life touched by God is special and every act of obedience is noticed by God. Don’t measure your significance by your level of notoriety.
In the end, it will be far better to hear the words “Well Done”, than to have been well known.
Live on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein
