So. Here’s the thing. When I wrote yesterday, I took a phrase from a sentence. “Heartily, as to the Lord.”

A friend pointed out how many people, particularly in ministry, are exhausted, are disheartened. I understand. With fifteen years on a church staff, and a bunch of other time as a volunteer in churches, the expectations that we create in churches are awful.

When people talk to me about being a chaplain, I explain that people always get upset. It’s what people do. But I’d rather have people being upset about life and death things, which is what I do now, than people being upset about where the coffee maker goes between church services, which is what I dealt with while on church staff.

Paul’s inviting us to pay more attention to the expectations and pleasure of God than we pay to the expectations of humans.

Paul says, imagine that you are working for God. That your boss cares about you, notices the way that you are trying, offers you ideas (wisdom). That your boss invites you into meaning, into activity that is good. That your boss invites you into valuing other people. And that even when they don’t value you, your boss does. That your boss gives you capacity to do what’s in front of you. That your boss invites you to rest and doesn’t scold you into taking it or shame you for taking it. That your boss takes the long view, the longest view, and in doing so allows for mistakes and learning. Imagine that your boss understands what it is to be you. And invites you to learn to live your life as he would if he were you.

And is table-turningly annoyed when people create false expectations and sign his name.

It would be life-giving to work for that boss. We might actually be whole-hearted for that.

And, that boss couldn’t care less about where the coffee maker goes in the church building.