Can You Do Important Work While Doing Smaller Work?
Such lovely tomatoes Matt plucked from his garden pots and put in the window sill to finish ripening. I donned an apron and set about dicing them and making them into bruschetta, while I listened to a panel discussion online about the theology of work.
The panel took a question, written by a man who was in a consultation position in his job. There was just no way, he thought, that his job could be as good as other jobs when it comes to doing the work of Christ.
The aroma of fresh basil filled my kitchen, as my knife sliced through the leaves, and I thought about my day.
You’ll want to know that I restocked the bathroom shelves with toilet paper (seams facing the back, because I am that kind of person.)
Dusted the bedroom dresser with one of Matt’s dirty t-shirts, before tossing it into the laundry. (Shhh.)
Took a walk and worked on learning some new Spanish along the way.
Tidied every room of the house. (And the crowd goes wild.)
Put laundry away.
Finished editing a Bible study I was writing for my church and hit send. (Happy dance in the kitchen.)
Made a Costco run.
Braved Wal-Mart so I could restock our peanut butter M&M jar. (A hallmark of shining hospitality.)
And I did other sundry chores that you don’t want to hear about.
All the while talking to Jesus. It was mostly just me and him all day long. I wasn’t changing the world or anything (although the next person who needs toilet paper might think otherwise.) But I was talking to Jesus. My heart and mind kept reaching out for him as I did chores and errands and a little bit of writing. For me it was a day of quiet worship and hours of prayer. A day of listening to him.
So to that guy with the question about work, I say all of work, from TP replacement to finishing a Bible study, is holy.
In our minds we have the ability to enter a sanctuary, even if our hands are busy brushing olive oil over baguette slices or dusting a dresser or crossing off a grocery list.
The mind can be a cathedral.
Or a quaint prayer cottage if you’re more the shabby-chic type.
So it’s not a change of work you need, to do the work of Christ, it’s a change of habit.
Turn your mind.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:6 (NIV)
Turn your mind to Jesus all day long. He is near. He loves you and wants to hear simply everything you’re thinking about and everything you need and all of your questions. I’m quite certain he even cares how your bruschetta turns out.
Maybe what you’ll discover is that the great work of Christ is what’s happening in you while you plug away at the mundane. Yes, maybe you are his great work.
Sometimes, I’ll dust something with a dirty piece of laundry too! LOL! And Bruschetta sounds amazing to me right now! I think about how I have no energy for anything right now because of the important work taking up reserves in my womb, but how this 9 month season of “really slowing down” for me has been a seemingly small piece of work on a big scale when it comes to my relationship with Gracie. The number of mother/daughter conversations we’ve had is big, but while it seems like a small thing to do…I’m praying that on a larger scale it is impacting her life to some degree. Giving her confidence, encouraging her efforts, praising her, teaching her about how God moves in all ways that we can’t begin to see, pointing Him out to her in the timeline of our family history. I pray these small things impact her in big ways. Maybe in ways she won’t even see until years from now.
That is a sweet testimony, Chels! I love that God is giving you space to be a wonderful mother, even if it means you’re not “accomplishing” much else. I’m excited for that new little one to make an appearance.
No matter what we do…..if we do it as unto the Lord it is very important KINGDOM work. Thanks, Christy, once again…..
Such a good reminder! You also had me thinking of my father when he told friends that every evening when he took off his socks, he used them to dust the dresser in the bedroom! We later learned that one of the friends had thought it a brilliant idea and had been doing it himself every night in the ensuing years! đŸ™‚ Good habits are a blessing!
I do that sometimes, too, but I think my husband would be absolutely horrified if he found out. LOL
He Chrisy,
Really appreciated this post. I have always believed the very same. We need to “unplug” also. Sometimes I get so busy listening to music, talk radio etc. that I don’t listen to the “still small voice”–the Holy Spirit. I have packed around a quote from AW Tozer for MANY years; “Learn to pray inwardly every moment. After a while you can do this even while you work. Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Pray for a single eye. Read more of what is important to your inner life. Never let your mind remain scattered for very long. Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Practice a spiritual concentration.” I cut this out of an old Sunday School bulletin at least 40 years ago…and it is on my refrigerator, a little browned and crusty but still a valid reminder! =)
Oh I love that! Thank you so much for sharing it here.
Thanks for this encouraging word this morning.
You’re welcome. You can worship the Lord while you serve people those breakfast bowls my husband loves so much. đŸ™‚