Her presence filled the room like royalty. She held the mop like a queen’s scepter as she prepared to clean the hospital restroom. I immediately noticed her dazzling smile as our eyes met, and something in me told me she was a daughter of the King.
Have you ever wondered if God has given us a sense to recognize other believers before they ever open their mouths? Are we sometimes drawn to the Holy Spirit inside of each other? I think about John the Baptist leaping in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with the Savior, came near.
But back to the bathroom . . .
For the next several moments, this beautiful woman with the mop and I talked. She asked me why I found myself at the hospital, and I explained about my mom’s health scare. She told me how hard she worked to keep germs at bay for the patients, and she assured me she knew that we had some great nurses where we were.
As mothers often do, we shared about our kids, and the Jesus-in-us connected in just a few moments. She told me she would pray for my family. My heart was lifted. She encouraged my soul. Right there in the ladies’ restroom.
And I thought how this precious woman was beautifully fulfilling her calling, and how she was used by God to minister to me in that moment.
A Calling to Magnify the Lord
And I thought of Mary’s song of praise—the words that rolled off Mary’s tongue after embracing the also pregnant Elizabeth.
How the soul of this beautiful janitor in the hospital bathroom magnified the Lord like Mary’s:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Luke 1:46–52).
Friend, no matter where we find ourselves, no matter what our position, we each have an opportunity to magnify the Lord. Oftentimes, we think only preachers and speakers and those on stages are the ones with high callings. But that doesn’t seem to fit with the way God has often worked in Scripture and how I see Him work today. God has always been in the business of doing mighty things with willing, humble hearts (1 Cor. 1:26–31). And I can find no place in Scripture that leads me to believe that the reward in heaven for the mega-church pastor will be any more than that of the beautiful janitor who does her job well.
God is certainly not impressed by position and power like our human hearts tend to be. Instead, He works so often in unexpected places and through ordinary people to do amazing things. Think about it —if God chose a poor teenage girl to bring His Son into the world, don’t think for a moment that He doesn’t want to use you right where you are, where you work, where you shop, and on the street where you live.
A Calling Better Than a Title
You don’t need a title when you’ve got a calling! And friend, you’ve got a calling! We who know Jesus as Lord, we who are sons and daughters of the King, need to hold our heads high, embrace the calling on our lives, and point others to the Savior! Even when, and especially when, the place God has called us to may be hard.
For many of us are called to the hard places . . . or we will be one day.
There are those who endure the hard marriages, care for the elderly parent, or patiently raise the child with special needs who will never leave home. Those who love the prodigals. Those who serve the homeless and pick up the broken and addicted. Those who study the Word and teach in the small churches. Those who care for the orphans and seek out the lonely. Those who love the hard to love.
There is no trophy for the ones who, day in and day out, lay down their lives for others. They are rarely thanked and go unnoticed by a world that celebrates self and selfies and social media followers.
A Calling to Be a Warrior
But make no mistake . . . they are warriors. The beautiful janitor in the bathroom, those who care for the sick and the broken, those who love the unlovely, and those who get up day after day to serve in the hard ministries—they are all stealth soldiers in a kingdom that is powerfully advancing!
And they daily die, to themselves and their desires and their needs. But it is there that they find that they truly live. These suffering soldier saints don’t just cognitively believe in the crucifixion, they have, themselves, been crucified with Christ. They’ve been set free from bondage to the emptiness of temporary worldly satisfaction. They’ve answered a higher calling to a better, eternal purpose.
Yes, they’ve been hurt, knocked down, scarred, and disappointed in the battle; but their eye remains steadily on the eternal, better prize. And through them, God is bringing amazing light into the darkest corners of darkness and setting captives free.
A Calling with Supernatural Strength
As I have talked to these people over the years, they all tell me their strength is not their own. Merely human love would have walked away long ago. On their own, they would have stopped caring, but Jesus is the source of their strength and their love.
Daily they run to and place their hope in the One True King who they know will right all the wrongs, heal all the wounds, and make all things new. And as they quietly suffer and patiently serve, a lost world sees Jesus in them. Dying people catch a glimpse in them of what it means to truly live.
And these warriors—these disciples—keep making more disciples and the kingdom of God advances . . . one person, one decision, one day at a time.
Oh friend, oh soldier, be encouraged! Encourage others to keep on keeping on! God is at work in you and through you. He sees you. And one day, our eyes will behold His glory, and our faith will become sight. Rejoice—victory belongs to our Lord!
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