I’m doing the chronological reading plan of the Bible this year and am at the end of Exodus. I guess I never previously paid much attention to the plans and construction of the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant (Noah’s ark also will suffice for my point), the lampstand, the alters, etc etc. What I’m getting from all of this is the immense level of detail that God described for the construction and more importantly, the exact level of detail that was constructed.
To me, this shows that God isn’t some laid-back God, who is satisfied at whatever we think is good enough to give Him. He has standards above anything our biggest OCD minds could possibly comprehend. He communicates what He desires in a detailed way. It’s not “hey, I want this; do it however you think it will be the easiest”. It’s “hey, I want this; this is exactly how you do it, and I will give you the talents and abilities to do it to my level of detail.”
How often do we know God is tugging at us to do something and we do the least amount we can to get by? Maybe it’s because we are lazy. But, then again, maybe it’s because we are taught that attention to detail is a bad thing and it’s wrong to be so “anal” or “particular” or even “accurate/precise”.
I don’t know if anyone else feels the same way, but I often feel like I’m “too much” when it comes to the way I approach tasks, at work and at home. It doesn’t stress me out whatsoever to be the way I am, but I feel like it bothers or stresses out other people. And that can stress me out, but using my God-given talents is never the stressful part. I can even take my concern for what others think as an excuse to be lazy or complacent because that’s more expected (you maybe can imagine how this could happen at work), when I know I’m not that kind of person.
I feel like society encourages us to lower our standards for everything, but I don’t see God as being like that. Of course God wants us to rely on Him for every task, but I believe that in everything we are called by Him to do, we should do to the absolute best with the ability He has given us. He give us the strength and ability; He gets the glory. We shouldn’t compromise who God has made us to be just to be more “comfortable” to society.
Colossians 3:23-24 tells us that whatever we do, work heartily, as if for God and not for men …. because we are serving the Lord.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this in light of the detail of Exodus, but I’m starting to realize that God made me the way I am, and if I’m listening to and trusting God, then I am glorifying Him. If that’s too much for other people or they resent this part of me, that’s not my problem.
It is well with my soul….
Authentic Believer 