Are you looking for gold stars?

I grew up with one of these charts. Whether I was at school or church, we would track with gold stars our good attendance, bible reading, behavior, and how clean we kept our desks. I loved seeing those stars line up and the accomplishment I felt.But honestly, gold stars are not how to mark a life of a Jesus follower. We get up each day and live an obedient life for an audience of One, and the gold crown we will someday receive won’t be until we are gone from this world. Right now, there is no climactic moment, no gold star, just the everyday pressing forward, exhibiting Jesus in the daily trials and hard seasons. But while we wait, we can rest assured standing on the promises of God, knowing that our reward is coming. Someday, we will stand before the King of Kings, and He will say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”  I will hold on until then. What about you?