The Beautiful Grounds of 11490 Forest Road, Forest, VA

Church #180 was yet again at my job, and I think God is continuing to teach me how much bigger the word church really is.

With our new work hours, I am now working both Saturday and Sunday, which means church looks different for me for the time being. I know it won’t always look like this.

I would be lying if I said I do not miss walking through the doors of the beautiful churches throughout Lynchburg. I miss meeting new congregations, hearing different pastors preach, singing alongside people I have never met, and wondering every week what God is going to show me in another sanctuary. That was the beginning of this journey, and those experiences will always be precious to me.

But God keeps reminding me that while my schedule changed, He did not. He keeps meeting me exactly where I am.

This weekend, that happened again at Virginia Memorial Park. I had the opportunity to serve families who needed me, and considering how much I have prayed for God to use me in this work, I have to recognize that for exactly what it was:

an answered prayer.

Now, if I am being transparent, I still do not have sales. Of course I NEED sales. This is my job. There are goals to meet, responsibilities to take care of, and a family at home depending on me. I have prayed about those things, worried about those things, handed those worries to Jesus, picked them back up, and then handed them back again more times than I would like to admit.

But somewhere in the middle of working this weekend, God said to my heart that it will all work out; just keep giving, so I did and will continue to do so.

I gave my time. I gave my effort. I gave hugs. I gave compassion. I gave encouragement. I gave families my attention. I gave everything I had to the work sitting in front of me.

Most importantly, I had His love to give. And in the grand scheme of eternity, that makes Jesus smile, I’m sure.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Notice that Jesus did not say to let our light shine only when we are succeeding according to the world’s measurements. He did not say to shine when the numbers look good, when everybody applauds, or when everything finally falls into place. He simply told us to shine. So that is what I am trying to do.

I believe with my whole heart that if I continue serving families well, then when the time comes that they need help planning, they will remember how they were treated.

God has trusted me with this beautiful role, and that means more to me than I have words for. What a humbling honor to help mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, daughters, sons, grandparents, neighbors, and friends. These are people making decisions connected to some of the most emotional moments their families will ever experience, and God has trusted me with that.

And while working with families, there was another sermon waiting for me at work today… hard work itself can be ministry.

I came in this weekend and worked. I mean, I WORKED. I used every moment I could. I looked for things that needed to be done instead of waiting for something to happen. I kept moving. I kept learning. I kept trying. I kept serving. And somewhere in all of that, Colossians 3:23 came to my heart: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

That kind of hits differently when you are exhausted. It hits differently when the results have not arrived yet.

It is easy to work enthusiastically when everything you touch seems to succeed. It is much harder to keep giving your whole heart when you are working faithfully and still waiting for the fruit. But perhaps that is when our motives are revealed. Am I only willing to work hard when I can immediately see results? Or will I work hard because I believe my calling really matters to God?

The Bible repeatedly honors diligence. Proverbs 16:3 tells us to commit our work to the Lord. Galatians 6:9 tells us not to become weary in doing good because “at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I needed that one today. Because I am tired. This season has stretched me in almost every direction possible. Grief, family responsibilities, heartbreak, finances, work, changing schedules, and all the ordinary things that do not stop simply because life becomes difficult have made some days feel incredibly heavy. And yet there is still something inside of me that refuses to stop believing. Right now it is not a roaring fire. Some days it is just a flicker. But a flicker is still light. And I still have hope. I still believe God will provide for what He has called me to do.

When I accepted this position, I did not make that decision casually. I prayed about it. My family prayed about it. I asked God to guide me because I did not want to simply say yes to an opportunity. I wanted to go where He was leading. And so, I said yes again to God. And I truly believe obedience matters. I also know obedience does not mean everything immediately becomes easy. That is something Christianity never promised us.

Abraham obeyed God without knowing exactly where he was going. Peter stepped out of a boat before he knew what walking on water was going to feel like. The disciples left what was familiar because Jesus simply said, “Follow me.”

Faith has always required a step before we can see the entire staircase. That is where I am right now. I said yes. Now I have to trust God with what comes after the yes. There is a phrase that has stayed with me all weekend: when God puts something on our hearts, I believe we should take it seriously enough to place our whole heart back into His hands. Maybe He is building something I cannot see yet. Maybe somebody I helped this weekend will remember me six months from now. Maybe a conversation that felt small planted a seed. Maybe someone simply needed kindness today, and God decided I could be the person to give it. Maybe the harvest is coming later.

My responsibility is to faithfully tend the field God has placed in front of me.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

There it is. I can plant. I can water. I can work. I can serve. I can love. I can pray.

But God gives everything.

And perhaps that is the sermon Church #180 needed to preach directly back to me. I have been so worried about whether the harvest will come that God is teaching me how to faithfully tend the soil. So today, I worked hard. I loved people. I served families. I showed up. And when I leave work, I have to leave the results there too. Because I cannot say I trust Jesus while simultaneously believing everything depends on me.

It doesn’t.

Thank God, it doesn’t.

The same Jesus who has carried me through it all, as well as 180 very different church experiences, is perfectly capable of carrying me through this season too.

So yes, there is still a flicker of hope burning inside of me. Actually, maybe I need to stop saying just a flicker. Because we know that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. God has never required me to bring Him a bonfire. He asks me to bring Him my faith.

Church did not happen in a packed sanctuary. But it was full.

Full of purpose. Full of people. Full of opportunities to serve. Full of chances to reflect Jesus. And if somebody walked away feeling a little more cared for because I was there, then something wonderful happened. The sales will come when the time is right. I am going to keep doing my part, keep learning, keep working hard, keep serving with my whole heart, and trust God with everything I cannot control.

And if you have been following this journey and find yourself near Virginia Memorial Park, I hope you will come see me. I would genuinely love to meet more of you, hear your stories, give you a hug, and thank you personally for continuing to walk beside me through this wild, beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking journey.

More than three and a half years ago, I started looking for Jesus inside the churches of this city. At Church #180, He reminded me that sometimes He is waiting for us at work.

I cannot wait to see where the Holy Spirit leads next week.

Love you all,

Annie Stewart Lambert