All in!

Morning devotions at our house are a thing of beauty. One of my sons wolfs down a Jethro-sized mixing bowl of Apple Jacks (yes, note how we are carefully following the healthy adage of "eating the rainbow" at our house? Have you've seen how colorful Apple Jacks and Captain Crunch are?). My daughter rushes in, frantically searching for the pants that have not yet been folded and reside somewhere in the mountain of clean clothes on top of the dryer. My youngest son wanders into the kitchen, bleary eyed and asking if I can put a LOT of sugar on his "snap crackle pop." And while reading the morning's devotion to the children from "The Daily Bread" or "The Upper Room," I'm also pouring milk, cooking bacon (like I said, healthy eating 101), looking for batteries for my daughter's calculator, or her car keys (are we sensing a pattern here?), and sipping hot tea.

Yesterday morning, I decided to begin our devotion with something new. I had just heard on the radio about the New York Giants' slogan "All in." Now granted, I literally only heard a 30 second clip mentioning the slogan, so I know next to nothing about the subject--but, really, when has that ever stopped any of us? My Daddy used to tell the story of a professor who asked his class one morning, "What's the difference between ignorance and indifference?" One wag of a student responded apathetically, "I don't know and I don't care." Okay, so I admit I don't know squat about the Giants or their slogan, but I still like it a lot. So there you are.

Anyway, back at the ranch... I'm telling my son that I had just heard about a wonderful defensive something or other (defensive back, defensive line, defensive end?--this is just going downhill, isn't it?) named Justin Watts say... At which point my son interrupts me. "Mom, Justin Watts plays on the Tarheels basketball team!" "Well, gee," I responded, "I knew he sounded like a terrific guy!"

Undeterred, I soldiered on, telling my son that this Justin fellow (who, it turns out is named Justin Tuck and is a defensive end--I love google) explained briefly what it meant to be "All in." The Giants have adopted the slogan "All in" which refers, I think, to playing hard, be fully committed, giving their very best effort in every practice and in every game. But he went on to explain that it refers to far more than just "our gladiator role on the football field... we have other passions in life as well, and my greatest passion starts with my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior."

Despite the fact that I butchered the story for my son, we really did have a very brief but good discussion on what it means to be "All in" for life and for the Lord--in addition to finding another reason to pull for the New York Giants.

But I've really thought about that. Am I "All in" for life? One of my favorite verses has always been Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." If you are doing homework, or making lunches, or practicing a sport, or singing a praise song, or laughing with friends, or watching the sun rise while walking the dog, do it heartily as unto the Lord.

Whatever we are doing can be an act of thanksgiving, an offering of our hearts and our hands to the One who gave us life and ability when we are "all in"--present in that moment, thankful for that moment, and giving our all in that very moment. When we do whatever we are doing, wherever God has placed us, wholeheartedly and thankfully, then the secular can become the sacred. Folding laundry can be a mini worship service! Rather than desultorily facing that mountain of clothes again with a deep sigh, I can choose instead to rejoice that I have the privilege of serving and loving these precious lives God has entrusted to me for such a brief time, and then give that laundry my best shot. Then in the midst of the grind, God transforms the mundane into the meaningful. I couldn't help but be reminded of the monk many years ago who discovered the delight of peeling potatoes when he offered that laborious chore up to the glory of God. Our work truly can become worship--even in the most routine of tasks--if we do that work wholeheartedly and unto the glory of God.

God calls us to be "All in" for Him. All in as we love Him and seek to glorify Him with our lives--all our lives, all our activities, all our responsibilities. "All in" as we give Him our best and serve others wholeheartedly, love wholeheartedly, rejoice wholeheartedly. After all, He was surely "All in" for us--"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." 1John 3:16 Might we be "all in" for Him this day and every day. To God be the glory.