We have a natural tendency to take ourselves quite seriously.  We believe that without us the world could not get along quite as well as it does not.  Like small children, we find it hard to imagine a world in which we are not present.  It is easy for people in key positions to begin to think that they are not replaceable.  When I was teaching in a university, the chairman of our department decided to resign.  He was a popular and hard-working man, and none of us could imagine the department working quite right without him at the helm.  We were grief stricken, and several faculty members wondered if they wanted to stay if the chairman left.

        He carried out his plan to resign, and was replaced by another person who did almost as good a job.  The department continued to function, and the work of education continued, and after a few months, things returned to normal.

        It may be easy for us to begin to think that we are crucial in whatever position we occupy, and it is good to be reminded from time to time that we are not that important.  I remember the air traffic controllers who went on strike in the early 1980's.  If ever there was a group who had reason to believe they were important, it was this group.  They were highly skilled, the economy of the country was dependent on air traffic, and they could not easily be replaced.  But when they went out on strike they made one miscalculation.  They believed they could not be replaced.  Then, after warnings, the President fired all of them, and they discovered they could, in fact, be replaced.

        The work of Jesus Christ in the world is the main business of every person who calls himself or herself a Christian.  If some other work is more important to you than advancing the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven, then you are not really a Christian.  In the Kingdom work, everyone has a job, and everyone is important, but the cause of Christ does not depend entirely on any individual.  However, people can begin to think that it does, and act as if the cause of Christ would fail without them.

        When we start to see our work for Christ as dependent on ourselves for its success, we have started down the path of ego, not the path of spirituality.  Jesus Christ does not need you or me to get the job done.  God can accomplish what He wants with or without our help.  He does offer us the opportunity to work with Him to accomplish His purposes.  We need to see our spiritual work as something we join God in doing, not something we do on our own, or something we do for God.

        God's work will be done, and we can help or not help, but it does not depend on us individually.  God was going to deliver the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt.  He wanted Moses to play a role, but it was God who directed the drama.  In our lives we are invited by God to play a role, but never should we begin to think that we are running the show.  I see people in my church who become overwhelmed by taking on responsibility which should be shared.  I see people in the Christian community who want to take credit for what is accomplished.  I see people become anxious and fearful when they encounter obstacles in their service for the Lord.  We forget that it is His work, not ours, and that He will accomplish what needs to be done.

        I do not believe God is honored by anxious service, or by ego-driven service, or by grumpy service.  But too often we become anxious, ego-involved, and grumpy in our work for Christ.  Jesus Christ can get the job done, with us or without us.  If we fail or falter, He will raise up someone else to accomplish the task.  Let our service always be done with a joyful spirit and a happy heart.  After all, He promised that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  When we find that our work has become a heavy burden and the yoke has become difficult to pull, we need to stop and ask who's burden we are carrying.  Is it the one Christ has given us, or is it something we have picked up on our own?  It is really a relief to discover that we are not that important, and that we can serve Him with lightness of heart.