Ordinary Service

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes struggles with desiring to serve God in bigger, more impressive ways, to accomplish more than the usual tasks that make up an ordinary day.

I'm not talking about healthy desire to serve God and accomplish more through His strength - but rather discontent with what He has called us to do today.

Case in point: For the past year I've worked with my sister in our own business - cleaning houses, cooking meals, and providing transportation or companionship for seniors. I love to sit and have coffee and chat with lonely seniors who may not be able to get out much, but believe me when I say that scrubbing toilets is not always my idea of a good time! The relationship-building part of my job is what I enjoy best, and I pray that God will use me for His purposes in this area, but sometimes the cleaning feels... just not significant enough.

There are so many other things that I would like to do someday - do more with my writing, be more involved in evangelism and discipleship, travel, be a wife and mom - things that often seem much more appealing than the tasks that I've been called to today. That's where battling discontentment comes in! I'm slowly learning that there is really no such thing as an "ordinary" task when it is done in service to God...

I picked up My Utmost for His Highest the other evening and the day's reading addressed this subject (being content to do "ordinary tasks") so well:

"Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.

The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done...

Do you find yourself responding by saying, 'Oh, I will do all that once I’m out on the mission field'? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield--you will be killed while trying to do it. We have to go the "second mile" with God (see Matthew 5:41 ). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, 'Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life.' But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes."

I'm reminded that, as a servant, it's not up to me to choose where and how I will serve God. I'm not always given the reason for a particular circumstance. Sometimes the why is revealed and I can see the fruit that results from my service to God in the circumstances He orchestrates - my own character is refined, or a need in someone else if filled - but sometimes it remains a mystery.

I do know this, that God knows our tomorrows! He alone knows perfectly what tasks we need to do today in preparation for what He will call us to do tomorrow. Let's trust Him and accept our assignments with a thankful heart!