Background Front Liners

There has been a lot of talk about frontline soldiers since this virus hit, or was it sent?

We are seeing whole cities standing out and clapping for these soldiers.

But do we realize that behind those soldiers are some very critical support structures, structures that go unnoticed for the most part?

Incidentally, do you know that this is true of all of life where success is involved?

Yet only the stars get all the attention and recognition.

Where are the cleaners and the watchmen when the front liners are celebrated? Where are the researchers and drivers? Where are the cooks and disposers of hazardous materials?

You see, we are conditioned to reward the star, almost assuming that he does everything by himself.

The other day nurses were threatening to go on strike because they were feeling slighted as doctors had had their packages drastically improved. Then a lead researcher was sacked for giving results behind time until his fellow researchers started protesting, especially because they felt left out when the government was distributing positions and resources in the fight against the virus.

There is at present an uproar about how ministry honchos have been eating money meant for the intervention on the virus. If I can remember well there was more money spent on tea and airtime for the bosses than for hiring necessary staff, among other crazy expenditure lines.

Yet you may find out that these invisible workers handle the bulk of the work the stars are taking credit for.

Sadly, that is not the only place with that anomaly.

The pastor is the star in a cast with so many other unknown people spending endless donkey hours to ensure he succeeds.

Even in a business or company you will find that the bulk of the people earning peanuts determine the success of the enterprises.

A lawyer has his junior lawyers and legal clerks. A professor has the many students doing his research for him. Even a minister like me has a supportive wife and children to thrive, even landlords to ensure he has a place to lay his head.

But many times they are just treated as necessary cogs, evils or something like that.

I do not mind if it happens in the world, evil as it is. But it is really bad when the people of faith behave the same.

Godly men of the past were not like that.

How could Abraham raise an army from his slaves? How could he send a slave with the commission to get a wife for the promise?

Could he have done that if he had treated them like we do our juniors and subordinates?

Look also at David when Israel is being judged because he had ordered a census. Ha absolves Israel and pleads that he be allowed to take the judgment as he was the one culpable.

Of course recently we were looking at him making the sharing of the spoils equitable between the army that had actually fought and the one that was too tired that they had been left with the stuff.

But we also see God doing things differently from the way we do.

The priests were at the head of the ministry pyramid, if we may call it such. Do you realize that they did not receive directly from Israel?

The Levites were given the tithe. They then tithed that tithe to the priests.

This meant that no single person was in charge of what was given. We also realize that both teams were forbidden from ‘working’ to ensure that they focused only on the ministry God had called them to.

It of course meant that the priest who was the centre of worship depended on the junior ministers (using our terms as that is not how God calls them) to function.

This meant that none felt the better or worse for his lot in ministry as each needed to be faithful in his ministry for the other to succeed. The visible was dependent on the invisible to function.

But the greatest illustration that God values and recognizes backgrounders is in the parables of the lost. That God stops everything to find that one that is lost.

He does not replace or trash what we would normally think is not so useful, if not useless.

God recognizes everybody in his assembly plant, if we may call it that. And He rewards them according to their work, not impact. That is why we read this in the Bible.

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21)

Mark this, not powerful and impactful servant. Look at how He also rewards impact when it is misplaced.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7: 21 – 23)

You see, only He has the perfect measure for impact and that is why He rewards faithfulness.

What is faithfulness? It is the persistent and consistent pursuit of what God has revealed to you without wavering. It is like the river keeping to its course even when and where nobody notices it. It is like a tree bearing fruit even when all the fruit is falling off uselessly with no consumers.

What has God called you to? How faithful are you at it?