"Well Done" is Good, but...

"When I get to heaven, I want to hear 'Well done my good and faithful servant!'"

From what I can tell, this thought comes from a parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25. It is the passionate desire for many to hear this phrase from their Savior when they get to heaven. Last night this thought was shared with me again and I realized something that initially shocked me.

That is not the phrase I most desire to hear from God one day.

I have a longing that touches the depths of my soul. When I see Jesus face-to-face, my heart's desire is that I would take His breath away. I want Him to be overwhelmed by His love for me and thrilled that I am finally there, right by His side.

Because I don't desire the "well done" speech some might think I'm a lazy, self-centered Christian - or maybe not even a Christian at all! I don't think so, however. I think it makes me a woman who was made with a desire that goes beyond wanting a high-five from my savior. I know that phrase resonates deeply with some and I respect that. But God wired some of us differently.

Romans 10:15 quotes Isaiah 52:7 when it says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things."

When we step outside our comfy, insulated lives and share the message of salvation (good news) with those who need to hear it, God says it is beautiful! Actually, this verse says our feet are beautiful! To me, this means he sees our effort as beautiful, which makes us beautiful to Him.

To live our lives in an evangelistic way, to focus our lives on sharing the available gift of Salvation with everyone we encounter, can be scary and exhausting work. It is a lifestyle that invites conflict and persecution at any time. It requires complete obedience to God's word, even when it means things may get tough. It definitely feels like a battle at least some of the time. But I don't want to be recognized by God in that "good soldier" sense. I want to be recognized as the apple of His eye who thrilled him by the way I loved others.

Although the warriors in the crowd look forward to a slap on the back and a hearty "well done," some made in His image with quiet and gentle spirits (if not personalities) long for our efforts to be a stunning sight to behold by our heavenly Father.

When I get to heaven, I want Jesus' eyes to widen, then soften, then gaze at me with such obvious affection I might blush. I want Him to gasp, then say,

"Suzanne, You are beautiful!"

I want Him to say this not because I have great highlights and my cheekbones are awesome, but because my feet went where He wanted them to. And that made me beautiful!