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There’s a man who runs the streets of Independence County, though not in the way you might be thinking.

Day after day, you can find him along the side of the road, hard at work.

What’s he doing?

Picking up trash.

Bottle after bottle. Can after can. He cleans the roadsides and ditches. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Rex Williams, but I see him at work.

I read recently that he has collected more than 1,300 bags of trash since January. He doesn’t get paid for it. He was never asked to do it. But he’s been at it for more than nine years.

Nine years of picking up everyone else’s trash. Nine years of watching people toss stuff out their windows. Nine years of walking a road he had just cleared a month before, only to find it full of trash again.

Nine years.

When asked why, he said he wants people to realize how much stuff we just throw away, and he wants to do something good.

**2 Thessalonians 3:13**

“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.”

The purpose of the church was to come together to worship the Lord, serve one another, teach the truth of the gospel, be trained to share it with others, and help those in need.

The problem was that there were people taking advantage of that help. Some had become idle and were neglecting their responsibilities. Paul addressed this problem and admonished those who were refusing to work.

And those in the church who were still serving, still active, still doing what needed to be done, can you imagine how they felt? Day after day, working to make sure everything was taken care of while watching others do nothing.

Paul encouraged them.

And it’s an encouragement to us today, too.

No matter what everyone else is doing, don’t give up. Keep doing good. God has given you work to do. Do it. And do it with gladness.

Serve as if you are serving the Lord Himself.

He sees all that’s taking place. And the work you are doing, no matter how small it may seem to you, God sees it.

And it matters.

There aren’t always a lot of thank-yous being handed out to those who serve, especially those working behind the scenes.

So let me just say to you, thank you.

Thank you for everything you do that no one sees or knows about. Thank you for every prayer you’ve prayed silently and without notice. Thank you for every clump of dirt you vacuum, every card you send, every diaper you change, every hand you shake, every bulletin you create, every hug you give, and every meal you prepare.

Jesus uses even the small things to do great things for His Kingdom.

Keep saying yes. Keep showing up. Keep serving.

Keep your focus on Him and not on others.

And if you see Rex in his old Dodge pickup on the side of the road picking up trash, shout a thank-you for the good he continues to do.

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