"Sandcastles" by Skye Peterson

This is a great song.

Sometimes, when I'm thinking about my writing or music, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the particulars. Should I write fiction or non-fiction? Where should I try to get published? What song should I learn to play next? How long should I practice every day?

And, of course, the biggest one: What if nobody cares? 

The desire to be seen is a big part of everyone's life, I think. It's not just artists. Everyone—whether you think of yourself as "creative" or not—has to deal with that question at some point or another. Who will care if I ace this test? Why should I try to do well at my job? What if I spend hours agonizing over a presentation to give, but when I give it, it slips out of everyone's mind as soon as I sit down? 

I'm not here to tell you that it shouldn't matter to you if anyone cares about your work. It's a natural thing to want to be recognized, and while it can sometimes be difficult to deal with all the doubts, half the time they'll push you to do a better job. But whether or not they make you improve your work, the recognition is not the point.

Let me repeat that. The recognition is not the point. Any work you do, whether it's music, writing, painting, contracting, computer programming, or flipping chicken patties at Chick-fil-a, is not done for the purposes of human adoration. 

Now, that's not entirely true. Sometimes, you do work to be admired. That's a fact, and I'm not trying to deny human nature. But your work shouldn't be for that purpose, and it wasn't always intended to be. 

Consider George Herbert. You may not have heard of him, but he was a clergyman of the Church of England during the early 17th century, and also a prolific poet. His poems have blessed thousands of people over the years, and I'd highly suggest giving some of them a read (The Temper is one of my favorites). But during his lifetime, he had almost no recognition for his efforts. And this was for one very specific reason: he did not write for others to read. 

George Herbert's poetry was part of his devotions. He wrote for himself and for God. And because of that, his works became some of the most raw, powerful, and pure prayers that you can find. They're beautiful. And they're true. 

Was he thinking about recognition? 

Often, we forget the point of all the work that we do. Colossians 3:23-24 reads, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." We are serving the Lord Christ, not ourselves. We aren't serving men, we aren't serving clicks or view tallies, and we aren't serving our own financial gain or following. We are working for the Lord. 

So the next time you have a job to do, do it for God. Your boss (or readers, or listeners, etc.) might not notice the difference. That's okay. Because you aren't doing it for him.