Pop-Pop

The work would be almost done by the time I got there. Several days before I arrived, my grandfather would ask me for help on some project, like painting, fixing the fence, raking the leaves, whatever. But he would always have a good chunk of the work done before I showed up. For example, if I was supposed to be repotting 10 plants, six would be done by the time I got there. He was by no means young, and seemed very unsteady on his feet, but he was like a geriatric Energizer Bunny.

One time, he asked me to deal with the old wooden gutters, which meant cleaning out leaves and applying oil as a preservative. It also meant a lot of ladder work. Now, my grandparents’ house sat on a very uneven lot, so a single story in the back of the house turned into a death-defying high-wire act in the front. And the slope on the sides of the house required a lot of blocking to make sure the ladder, and the person on it, didn’t tip and fall down the side of the house.

When I drove up, my mouth dropped open when I realized Pop-Pop had the leaves cleaned out of the gutters on two sides of the house. When he saw my astonished face and I said what was he thinking risking life and limb and that’s why I’m here and I’m more than happy to do it, he just said matter-of-factly, “I got a little bit of a start on things.” Later that afternoon, my grandmother told me, “He just gets excited knowing you are coming to help; he can’t help himself.”

Instead of me doing all the work, as I expected, I understood my grandfather and I were coworkers, and it apparently brought him tremendous joy. That joy energized him to start the job, even before I lifted a finger to help. Because he started earlier than me, it made the entire day, the entire project, the entire process smoother and faster than if I had done all the work on my own. And as much as I railed against him climbing the ladder, my doing less work left me with more energy for the rest of the day. In a way, my grandfather’s excitement strengthened me.

Similarly, when we align our efforts with God’s will, He can’t help Himself. He gets excited and starts helping us in ways we don’t expect, immediately see or initially understand. But eventually it becomes evident, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

What can you do today that will bring God great joy?