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Leaving the Results to God

By: Christine Vander Wielen, MSW, LCSW

Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Recently, our daughter was in a solo/ensemble competition. She stood poised and attentive as she patiently waited for the judge. After receiving the acknowledgement to begin, she confidently introduced herself, her accompanist and her piece. Her playing was beautiful and those hours of practice were evident.

Once finished, she again stood poised as she waited for the judge’s remarks. The judge appeared to be displeased with her performance. His demeanor was less than kind. Honestly, it bordered on harsh and belittling. He asked her some questions and had her play some measures over and over. Respectfully, she answered his questions and thanked him for his suggestions. He was not finished with her yet; he had more discouraging comments.

As a mother watching and listening to this, I wanted to confront him. He had clearly missed an opportunity to encourage a young musician. It was only by the grace of God that I held my tongue. Later, I realized if I had gotten involved, I probably would have missed what happened next.

I was proud of her, not just because she played the absolute best rendition of Bach's Musette ever (not that I am biased or anything), but more so that she was gracious and respectful. She was undaunted by his words. Her love of music has not wavered. His harsh critique of her work has not negatively impacted her at all. While trying to integrate his suggestions, she has remained the same confident, caring person as always.

Additionally, she did not evaluate herself based on the reaction of one person. We cannot control another person's reaction, nor are we responsible for another person’s reaction or opinion of our work…or of us. Therefore, we cannot evaluate ourselves based on a person's opinion or reaction to us. Thankfully, we are only responsible and held accountable for our own behavior and attitudes.

At times, it is easy to forget that ultimately we live and work for an audience of One.  We can get caught up in the present and try to please those around us first. But we are called to be faithful to the Lord, not to be perfect or pleasing to man in all that we do. (For this, I am very thankful because I fall short so often.) God does not evaluate the results of our work like a judge. Rather, He looks at the attitude of our heart.

We have tried to teach our children to do everything as unto the Lord, to do their best in all things and leave the results to God - whatever those may be. Sometimes those results will be pleasing to man and sometimes not, as the human heart can be very fickle. It was encouraging to see how God used this experience for my daughter and myself.  She did her best and left the results to God.

Compliments of Practical Family Living, Inc.

P.O. Box 1676, Appleton, WI 54912 (920) 720-8920

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