A Humble Job

TEXT: 1 Samuel 9:1-2; 10:17-26; Isaiah 1:19; Matthew 18:4

Noah and his friends didn’t believe they would see Logan doing that . . .

I can’t believe my eyes!” said a laughing voice.

“Hey, guys! Get a load of this! Logan Marshall is raking up garbage.”

Logan looked up at Noah with a grin. “And why not? You were the one who suggested the plan of the Hiwanda Helpers here at youth camp. Every cabin offered to take a turn at KP duty when the camp manager and his wife got sick, and it’s our turn.”

“Yeah, but you? Raking garbage? You can’t tell me you ever lifted a spoon at home—except to feed your face. I thought for sure you’d find something 'supervisory' to do.”

Logan shrugged. “Oh, I don’t mind. The job has to be done, so why not me?”

“Well,” muttered Noah as he turned away, “all I can say is, now I’ve seen everything.”

But he hadn’t! The next day the entire camp assembled at the flagpole, and an announcement was made that it was time for litter patrol. Since it was almost swim time, nobody was excited about the project. The kids grabbed a few pieces of paper here and there, but most of them soon pronounced the job “good enough” and headed for their cabins to change.

When Noah and a bunch of his buddies started for the lake, they saw Logan down by the barn, with a plastic litter sack in his hand—and not an empty one either. Obviously, he’d been busy working.

“This beats all!” exclaimed Noah. “I bet Logan never does a thing at home . . . I mean, they’re so rich, they probably have servants. I’m surprised he knows how to work!”

“Hey, listen!” said another of the guys. “Early this morning when I was headed for the showers, I saw Logan outside the kitchen. You know what he was doing? Peeling potatoes! That early!

“Oh, you must have dreamed that one!” Noah said with a disbelieving chuckle. “No one, absolutely no one, gets up before the first wake-up call!”

“Nope, it was him, for sure,” insisted the other. “He even said good morning!”

“I know Mr. Wilson said he wanted us all to do our best. I mean, it was either pitch in or close camp. But I never thought I'd see anyone from the Marshall clan involved in this kind of grubby work!”

Camp passed quickly, and even the extra chores didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Soon it was Friday night, when they had singing and awards around the campfire. Mr. Wilson, the youth director, was emcee for the occasion. “Well, I have a number of important achievements to acknowledge,” he began. “First, I would like to hear a round of applause for Ryan Kelly. Ryan actually made it to all the flag raisings at 7 o’clock. Congratulations, Ryan!” A loud burst of laughter and applause greeted this remark.

“Next,” he went on, “I would like to present the cleanest cabin award to Cabin C. They did a great job . . . I mean, they even shoveled a path through the litter every morning before inspection!”

On it went—gentle fun being poked at this one and that one, and joining in the laughter with each announcement. At last Mr. Wilson said, “I have a real commendation to make.  Each year we pick a ‘Camper of the Year.’ We try to pick someone who has made a real contribution to the success of the camp. “This year when our camp manager got sick, the suggestion was made to set up our own group of helpers who would take over some of the meal preparation, cleanup, and camp patrol. This was a great suggestion, and we determined that the award for Camper of the Year should be related to this.”

Noah smiled at several of his buddies. He figured he knew what was coming—after all, he was the one who suggested the plan, right?

“With that thought as the basis for our decision, I’d like to announce that our choice this year is Logan Marshall!”

Logan looked surprised. “But, what about Noah?” he said to the guys next to him. “Shouldn't he get the award? The Hiwanda Helpers was his idea.”

A cheer went up around him. Mr. Wilson wasn't the only one who saw Logan’s help even with the grubbiest jobs, and his faithfulness in doing whatever needed to be done. Even Noah added his approval with his applause.

“In our chapel service we studied Saul, who was chosen as the first king of Israel for his humility and obedience to God. Logan has also shown these two qualifications—humility to do the least-liked jobs, and obedience to do his best at whatever he is asked to do. Logan, please accept this plaque as this year’s winner!”

As Logan accepted, Mr. Wilson held out his hand and said, “Thank you, Logan, for a job well done.”