Silent labor is neither unimportant, unvalued, or unrecognized work.
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,...
Silent labor is neither unimportant, unvalued, or unrecognized work. The Thessalonians received the Gospel message and demonstrated that quiet diligence is actually capable of resonating loudly. The Holy Spirit ensures that our ordinary work will no longer be divided between sacred and secular; rather he will let the message of freedom ring through us (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
In our society, success is often determined by the absence of flaws, the number of results, the position or titles associated with doing it, and how loud or sensational it is. But the Gospel teaches us that often the opposite is also effective. Moses, the Israelites walking into the promised land, Esther’s advocating for the nation, the birth of Jesus and even the resurrection are all moments of silence and sometimes obscurity. And the Thessalonians demonstrate the same thing. They have received the Gospel in oppression and instead of creating a big uproar, their quiet but shrewd approach to work proves to be just as effective. The silence of their work is not the same thing as passive work; they did not live above the fray but stayed incarnate. They worked because of their trust, toiled by their love, and endured because of their objective hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Their normal ordinary work for their neighbor enabled them to support fellow believers on Sunday and Monday. Their hope reminded them that the Gospel pushed them to endure with unbelievers.
They did this without accolades, media posts, marketing campaigns, or analytics. Their ordinary good work was in the midst of their imperfections, inability to get family right, personal struggles, propensity to weep without hope, and bearing under literal persecution. And what was the result? Not obscurity or accolades but a silence that resonates with Gospel truth. The Holy Spirit ensures that our ordinary work will no longer be bifurcated but rather he will let the message of freedom ring through us (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
Silent labor is neither unimportant, unvalued, or unrecognized work. God already knows what he will do with us but there might be something to learn when we are convinced of other’s salvation as much as they know it for themselves (1 Thessalonians 1:4). Perhaps our certainty concerning others and their ordinary work will make us come a little early, or look a bit wider at how their part actually rings out to the whole region. The Thessalonians learned that their labor may be obscure—not the exciting parts of what is perceived as being “ministry”—but their work was so profound that even Paul—the one sent to tell others of the faith—said that he does “not need to say anything about it” (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10).
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