I think one of the biggest lies society tells our children is that they have all the time in the world. Hey, you're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you. You've got plenty of time. Go travel. Find yourself.
I'm telling my children something different. Find God. Find Him while you're young. Don't be afraid to throw away your life on Him.
Yes, I'm excited to be experiencing a small level of success with my writing. But it means nothing compared to the joy of waking each morning and choosing to follow Jesus. Most mornings that means waking up to the drudgery of hard, dirty work.
Oswald Chambers wrote: "Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is the work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome and dirty work....Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery--washing fisherman's feet." (My Utmost For His Highest, Feb. 19)
Sometimes I get hung up on the idea of needing to do "meaningful work." Washing dishes, folding laundry, tending to sick babies is not my idea of ideal work. It is, however, the work God has given me to do. When I cheerfully do the work He has given me to do, He sanctifies it and makes it holy.
In other words, I find God in my work. Whenever I have neglected my daily work, I have trouble finding Him. But He has always blessed me with joy the moment I roll up my sleeves and start the day's work.
Of course, I would prefer to find God in a holier place than the kitchen sink! I would like to spend all day sitting before Him in a quiet sanctuary. But most days He has me sweatin' away inside my dirty house. I'm thankful He doesn't abandon me to my daily drudgery. He meets me there with grace for dirty pots and patience for dealing with my children.
Most importantly, He helps me find delight in the common, everyday tasks. There's a danger in rushing through my work to get to the "fun part" of my day. I don't think God divides up my life like I do. He's just as interested in how I do the dishes as in how I write. Everything I do is meaningful because each task is an opportunity to yield it as service to Him.
Colossians 3:23 tells me, "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord."
I love that word "heartily." It means exuberantly, vigorously, thoroughly and completely. If only I applied that kind of ethic to every task He gave me how much deeper would I come to know Him?
It's enough to make me wanna get up and start dinner prep right now! :)
Throwing my life away on God is not a waste. It's redemption.
