Washing Dishes

Last week I was standing in the kitchen staring at a sink of dirty dishes... and if I'm being honest I was feeling rather annoyed. The baby was finally in bed and I needed to shower. And send an email. And wash a load of clothes. And work on my website. And... the list goes on. I was thinking, "I waste so much of my life in this kitchen! Hours and hours just today!! Is it really worth my time to cook all these healthy meals for my family?! There are so many other things I would rather be doing, so many other things I NEED to be doing!!

As I squirted more dish soap into the crock pot I was scrubbing, the Lord clearly interrupted my thoughts. It was so abrupt and clear I know it was from Him. "Spend this time with Me and it will be the best possible use of your time. Talk to me about all you have to get done and listen to my voice and I will help you accomplish the things I have for you to do." Just like that. Wow. I was so convicted and encouraged at the same time.

" Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

I've read this verse a million times, usually in the translation I memorized as a child (NIV), "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I LOVE this version. But something about the way it says it in The Message stands out to me, "It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." I don't even think I was feeling particularly worried but Christ was definitely not my focus.

Later on that week, I had another "aha" moment while I was reading the devotion of the day in "My Upmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. Seriously y'all the opening sentence read, "In the matter of drudgery." Again, right to my heart. Diapers. Dishes. Laundry. Diapers. Dishes. Laundry. Drudgery.

He goes on to say, "We are not meant to be seen as God's perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual lives is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, 'Jesus...took a towel and...began to wash the disciples' feet...' (John 13:3-5)... Don't always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God... I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace go God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty's sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ."

Yes and Amen.

-Erin