Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." This advice comes from a very wise man: Solomon.
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and wondered what life was all about? What is the point of it all? My life has no meaning? Well, of course you have, at some point in your life. We all have.
So many times I have heard people say that they want to find a different job. They are tired of doing the mundane things in life: being a janitor, a housewife, a garbage collector. I even heard of one man, a psychologist, who quit his job. His reason? He wanted to find himself. He said that he wanted "meaningful employment."
What is "meaningful employment?" Where in the Bible does God tell us WHAT we should do? I can't find it. He tells us just to be DOING. There is no such thing as a meaningless occupation. Psalm 104:23 and John 9:4 - "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening." and "the night cometh when no man can work."
If I don't clean up the messy table after a meal, or prepare the meal in the first place; if I don't clean the toilet; sweep the floor; someone else has to. Why should I be so different? What could be more mundane—or humiliating—than washing someone else's feet? Jesus did it. He washed the disciples' feet, even Judas's, even though He knew that in a few hours from then Judas would betray Him with a kiss.
John 13: 1-17 But especially verses 13 to 16: "Ye call me Master.... If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example.... The servant is not greater than his lord.... If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Read the whole passage. It will give you a new attitude toward so-called mundane tasks.
Maybe that is what we should do: instead of complaining about what our role in life is, we should change our attitude. Perhaps we should put a little laughter into our days:
If you laugh just a little today
It will help keep your problems at bay.
Frowns will soon disappear
If you take time to cheer.
Laughter's sun melts life's worries away.
If you give a five-year-old the job of setting the table, she goes about it happily. She will sing a little song, or make up a little story while she works. She doesn't complain because the job is too mundane. But wait until that child becomes ten, and then ask her to set the table. She will have an all-new attitude. "Why do I have to do it?" she will complain. That simple task has now become mundane. What is the difference? ATTITUDE!
Let us ask God today to change our attitude, to put a song in our hearts. Let us ask Him to make us like the cheerful little five-year-old. Let us ask Him to make us like His Son, Christ, who didn't think washing the feet of His followers was beneath Him. He set us an example. It is up to us to follow it.
"Oh Lord, whatever tasks You have for me to do today,
may I perform them cheerfully. For this I humbly pray.
Amen."
Article written and used with permission by © Helen Dowd ( Thanks Helen ! )
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3 comments:
Kathleen..praying for SL friends
11/06/07 - 8:56 AM
"AMEN! It is all about attitude. If we have a bad attitude it really doesn't matter what our job is because we will always be complaining no matter what we do. I have had to work on my attitude many times but I am happier with life than I have ever been, thanks be to God. We went to minister in a church that we had not been to before Sunday before last and at the evening services we washed each others feet. It was an awesome experience but you know that there are some people who would never do that but they just don't realize what they are missing. Great blog today! God bless you!"
~Tammy slsu~ Loving God!
11/06/07 - 9:08 AM
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Ann-Louise
11/06/07 - 12:14 PM
" Amen! I think God's definition of "meaningful employment" is becoming a servant like His Son. "
There came a knock upon my door
A man with hat in hand, asked me what it was he could do
To earn a piece of bread
Come on in, I bid him, saying ye need not work for me
Eat thy fill and rest a spell, and share a word with me
He went and sat and smiled in peace
upon a chair and spake
You are the first today that bid me
To come and sit and eat
For others said, I have no work, be off with you, they said
But they knew not, who I was, because
Their sin had buried their head
But pray I did for each of them
My Father knew their needs
But you I see, are just like me
For we both eat the same bread
I sat the table, with some meat
and bid him pray in thanks
He said Father, bless this house and he
For he does so, as thou says
Loveya Julie!! The LORD just laid this on my heart, right after I read what you had sent. Bless you!
Thanks for this article today! Love Danette
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