When I looked out the window of my cabin this morning, I saw the architecturally rich, multicolored skyline of Cadiz, Spain. Gone were the monochrome box-like buildings of Tunis, Algiers, and Casablanca. 

The beauty of Seville

After the two-hour bus ride to Seville, we saw more of the same. Seville was as beautiful as Casablanca was bland. Its old town was guarded by ancient walls, and its streets lined with small shops. Tourists sauntered through the streets without locals swarming around with offers of guidance or goods. 

The experience was not only visual — the scent of orange blossom hung in the air from the orange trees that lined the streets. Perhaps we were like the person breaking a three-day fast–each bite full of flavor–but we just kept saying, “This town is so beautiful.”

Given our time limitations, we went straight to Seville Cathedral. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, but more importantly for us, the cathedral with the remains of Christopher Columbus. 

Columbus’s tomb

Columbus’s tomb features prominently to the right of the nave, where it rests on two poles carried by four men. For a man who spent so much time on the open sea, his elevation in death seemed appropriate.

Seville is not just the place where Columbus is buried. It was the city that formed the base of administration for his journeys. Columbus reported to the Crown’s officials here, and he lived in and around here during parts of his later life. 

Most people in America know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered the New World. What many may not know is that Columbus loved God. He was a pious man who believed God had specifically called him to take the gospel to the New World.

Our calling

Columbus was not a preacher. He never planted a church or wrote theology. But he believed God had given him a work to do, and he did it well. In doing so, he opened a path for the gospel to reach an entire hemisphere.

As Scripture says:

Whatever you do, do your work with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters. —Colossians 3:23

The kingdom of God is not built only on the work of pastors and missionaries but by men and women who recognize their calling and carry it out with excellence, as unto to the Lord.

Sincerity is not enough. Sloppy work does not achieve the purposes of God any more than partial obedience accomplishes the will of God.  God is not honored by what is merely attempted but by what is done well.

Some preach. Others explore. Others build, teach, write, or govern.

But all work, if done well and for Him, matters.

After leaving the cathedral, The Wife and I stopped for lunch at a small cafe in the shadow of the cathedral. 

We then walked through the streets of old town, stopping here and there to enjoy the shops, and, later, a lemon gelato. 

As we made our way through town, the clear blue skies and the warm Spring sun were accompanied by a gentle breeze carrying with it hints of orange blossom. A single word was common on our lips—“Beautiful.” 

Seville was beautiful, but it was beautiful because it was built by men and women who believed their work mattered to God.

People like Columbus.

People like you and me.

Until tomorrow. GS