Vessels Of Honor

I got a call yesterday from an Episcopal Priest who I am honored to call a friend. She was calling to tell me that an eight minute spot I did on reading labels for TBN’s show "Dr. To Dr." was on the air. I’d taped it in 2010 and I only found out that they’d aired it after I did a search for my name one day when I was looking for something else and it came up on their website.  At the time I’d emailed them to ask if they could let me know when it was airing again, and they did, but they’re a busy station and so they can’t possibly tell me every time. The remarkable thing about my friend calling me to tell me is that she is the one who recommended me to them – and the really remarkable thing is that she doesn’t expect any credit or praise for giving the recommendation. She didn't say, "Remember that show I recommended you for, you're on it!" She called to tell me how lovely it was to see me on it and to congratulate me. She is one of the most humble and loving women of God I know, so loving and encouraging and kind and caring of others, and to her, making that connection for me was just doing His work.

It’s remarkable when people are like that because not everyone is. There are lots of people who will talk about how, “Oh, don’t thank me, thank God, “ or point upwards when you thank them or say they did something well, but do they really mean it? Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t judge anyone else because only God knows all hearts, but there are definitely times that people’s actions don’t match their words. I’m just as guilty of that as anyone – I like to be appreciated and it annoys me when people don’t say thank you. I remember one time years ago, before I was born again, when I recommended someone for a job and they got it and it was a life changing connection, and they never thanked me at all for it. That was annoying. Another time I helped an artist make a connection that made his career – he didn’t thank me either – that was annoying too. Before I was born again, I thought that there was definitely something outside of me that was helping me to make those connections, but there was still something inside of me that wanted the credit. Now I know who the Lord is and that He is all in all, I know that I could make all the connections I wanted to make and He’s the only one who can light the light at the end of the switch. If He doesn’t want the light to turn on, it won’t, and that’s all there is to it.

There is a women’s fellowship at a church that I have attended called Vessels of Honor. The name comes from 2 Timothy 2:20-21, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” When we go through the cleansing process with God, He will take away those things that are keeping us back from the good work that He has prepared for us. I should add that He will take them away if we let Him. God always gives us a choice. That’s why it's possible for people to put on a holy and sanctified face and point upwards and say, “Don’t thank me, thank God,” and still not really mean it. God’s not going to force you to do anything, and that’s why someone like my Priest friend is so refreshing. She truly recognizes who the Lord is, and loves Him with all her heart, mind, soul and strength, and she does His work with joy and love every day of her life.

She has an amazing testimony of how she came to New York City. I don’t want to share her story here because it’s her story and she tells it better than anyone, but I will give a little glimpse of it by saying that she drove here in a U-Haul truck not too many years ago because the Lord sent her here from her home in Maine that she loved. She’s in her early 70’s now, so when she was driving that truck she was like a latter day Moses, coming to New York to help set the captives free. She’s now a Chaplain in Transportation, so how fitting that U-Haul drive was. She’ll minister to anyone anywhere, subway, bus, planes, trains, access-a-rides. She is so in love with Jesus, and she wants everyone to know that love that He has for us. She radiates His love in all she does, like a big neon Jesus Love You sign, like the warmth of the sun after a long cold winter.

I was talking to a Pastor the other day and he was thanking me for something I’d done, and I said to him that I thanked him for the thanks, but that I did need to say it was God who had really given the provision. It would be easy to take the thanks – the Lord had used me to make a connection for the Pastor and his church to a ministry where they could pick up food for their own feeding ministry and provide food for their community. It would have been easy to take the thanks – why not, it’s just food, right? And after all, I had made the calls and written the emails and had followed up to make sure it happened. I can justify it all I want, but what I know in my heart is that if I take the credit, it is my love that I am lifting up to them, not God’s. It is my own greatness I'm trying to prove, not His. How much more beautiful it is for them to know how much God loves them, and to see His Divine provision, that He loves them so much He would find a way for them where there didn’t seem to be a way.

Looking back on my life and the times I’ve helped people and not gotten thanks doesn’t bother me now because I know who The Provider really is. He really is the only one. Having the opportunity to do things for people is reaching out with God’s love, and when we can do that with a pure heart, not wanting anything in return except to glorify God, then we can be vessels of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. It’s not always easy to let go of that pride that says “Look at what I did!” but when we can, we are able to experience the pure joy of knowing that we are doing the greatest work of all, because we are showing the love of God to others.

Blessings,

Jannie Susan