Finding the Good in Dirty Dishes

source: Pinterest

Today is like most other days on the ol' farmstead.  Clothes need to be laundered and put away.  Mouths need feeding and meals need to be made.  Dishes need washing and floors need sweeping.  Just another day like the one before and the one tomorrow.



No matter how much I get done today, tomorrow morning I will have to get up and do it all over again.  That is something that has often depressed me.  Some days I have  felt like "What's the point?" ... "Why even bother?"  As a mother of children living at home it's pretty much a given that I will never truly be finished with all of my household tasks.  Many times I have let that fact overwhelm me and cause me to look at all I have to do around the house with dread and self-pity.

But today, I have begun to feel a little differently about things.  Today God has spoken to me through the writings of others (yes, I confess I did a little web-surfing in an attempt to procrastinate and put off housework) and He has made me see that there is a point.  I should bother.

Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:17

The Message

It's not about the dirty socks.  It's not about the pile of pans in the sink or my chicklets asking when's dinner going to be ready for the hundredth time. It's about God.  It's about doing it because He calls me to.  It's about giving it my best not just to earn earthly thanks ... because let's face it, motherhood can be one of the most thankless jobs ... but as a way of showing God just how thankful I am for Him.
 
Wow. 

Don't just do it for my sometimes thankless family ... do it for God.

It's amazing that one little change in focus could make such a major change in my attitude towards my never ending to-do list.  Doing all things for the Glory of God makes even something like scrubbing toilets take on a greater purpose.  It's an opportunity for me to show God how truly thankful I am that I am His.

At least for today (hey I'm only human and may need a reminder or two or three again in the future)  I have shifted my focus heaven-ward.  In doing so, my load has been lightened and I can see my chores as not only ways to show God my thankfulness to Him, but reminders of the blessings He has given me.

Thank God for dirty dishes;

They have a tale to tell.

While others may go hungry,

We're eating very well

With home, health, and happiness,

I shouldn't want to fuss;

By the stack of evidence,

God's been very good to us.

Author Unknown