Lessons from an Egg McMuffin

I eat Egg McMuffins often, hoping they make for a healthier lunch than a burger. On one occasion the McMuffin I received needed some serious help. The top of the muffin leaned to the left and the bottom to the right. The cheese hung half off the egg, and the Canadian bacon sagged on the other side. As you might imagine, my first thought dripped with sarcasm, “And they want to give the guy who put this together fifteen dollars an hour.” My next thought was, “I hope whoever did this isn’t a Christian.”

As I arranged my muffin so it could be eaten, I remembered two verses:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
 as working for the Lord, not for human masters . . .

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) & Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

I wondered, “Do Christians live these two verses? Do I live out Paul’s words in all I do?” We’re so immersed in this culture of mediocrity, even followers of Christ fall into the trap of a me-first mentality. When employers treat us badly, we often have a hard time working with all our heart. And if there’s no personal benefit or it seems no one appreciates our hard work, doing it all for the glory of God becomes difficult.

But Paul didn’t tell us to do these things when it was easy. He didn’t say, “Whenever people are paying attention and the result could lead them to Christ . . .” Nope, the apostle said, “whatever you do.” And he said it in both verses. We may think some jobs too menial to perform in honor of our Creator, but a famous monk named Brother Lawrence peeled potatoes for the glory of God, and I have a friend who delivers mail as if delivering for Jesus.

Perhaps Christians should do an inventory each evening:

 And if our answer isn’t an emphatic yes, we’ll need to make a few adjustments for the next day. Because while many have heard Colossians 3:23, fewer know the verse that follows:

. . . since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving

Colossians 3:24

So whatever you do, do it for the glory of God today, as if you were working directly for Christ and not that human who pays your wages. Put those muffins together proudly, push your broom with joy, because Christ is preparing our inheritance. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but the day will come when the One who sees all we do, even in secret, will give us our reward.