Can you get the trash? Can you wipe the table? Can you pick up the crumbs off the floor? I would like to think when my mom asked me all these questions she had some type of foresight into helping me grow a stable pallet for serving others. However, It never took. I don't hate washing dishes because its mundane, I hate washing dishes because it takes me 10 years. I really hate dirt, so I have to spend every possible moment to clean every dish. Part of effective cleaning is effective timing and God knows I don’t have that naturally. No matter how long I clean, I don’t like doing it. So anyway I recently decided to get a new job and part of it involves cleanup tables, taking out the trash and sweeping floors. I can say without much thought I hate this part of my job.
Before we go too far I need to admit that I don't think this job is beneath me or that I’m too skilled at other things to do it. I actually suck at most things I do evenly. Totes me! I’m telling you about this because as I kept working at this job for the last 4 months I realized I still hated this. One day at work my license paperwork didn't update and so I had to wait to work for about 4 hours. The manager asked me if I wanted to stay and just clean tables and things like that. I quickly replied with a sure no. Her question fell on the deadest ears that ever listened.
I replied to her that was not the reason I worked here. However the more I thought about it the more it bothered me. My answer was true but my answer wasn’t right. I can’t explain to you how big of a lesson that is. Just because something is a fact doesn't mean it's God. No matter how big the details are God is bigger. The disciples are talking among themselves about who would be the first among them. Jesus stops them short of that and says “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” So skip forward to a few days after I said that and this verse pops into my head. The Holy Spirit has no chill. Then it occurs to me the thing I don't care to do at all is the thing that I was born for the most. I really believe God works that way too. The way life works is that one thing that you don't care about at all; God will sway your heart to be interested in sometimes. Then you don’t know how to not care about it.
It's insane. So here are my insane thoughts about serving others that I've learned so far. People are messy. It doesn't matter how nice, driven, complete, or interesting they are. They leave a mess. If I wanted to be a good servant I needed to learn how to clean up messes not people. It's hard as a Christian in this world to not try to fix everybody. Simply because you know what Jesus did for you. You know the power of change and love that comes from a relationship with Him. Our knee jerk reaction to most people is “only if you were better”. But Jesus tells us the greatest thing about us, the thing that makes us first in the kingdom of heaven is not our ability to deal with perfect people but our ability to help messy people. The kid who spills the soup every single time. The mom with 4 kids that destroy a table. The businessman who barely noticed the mess he left on the table. The teenagers who laughed at you ...after you gave them food.
People are hungry. The experience I have had at a restaurant, being served amazing food, doesn’t compare to anything I've ever cooked for myself. The best experience is when you are being served. Jesus has been teaching all day and it was close to dinner time. Over 5000 people sat there just basking in the knowledge and care of the greatest teacher the world has ever known. The disciples tell Jesus to make all the people go home as it is time to eat. Jesus looks at them and says, “You feed them!''
Jesus understands how people work. He looks at the problems of everyday life and doesn't say depend on God or have a prayer meeting. He looks at his disciples and tells them to deal with the problem of serving people's needs. I really believe Jesus was saying have faith, serve them. Serving people is meeting their needs. We need food but also we need faith and love through ministry. In service to people we should not just meet one type of need but many needs. Even today we as Christians would be lazy with the way we serve people and Jesus is still looking at us telling us to do the work of a real servant. Who doesn’t just feed people spiritually but physically, emotionally, and purposefully!
So yeah. I hate cleaning tables. Cleaning up, in general, is a true bore to me. But I can say without a doubt God is changing this hard heart to see the greatness in being born to serve others. No matter how boring it is. Some people are born to serve. They are also the greatest people you will ever meet in your life according to Jesus. This also brings up a question for me. When was one time when you served that really helped you? Can you name a time when you served others and you knew it really helped them? Share it and grow from it.
I just knew your blog would be heart filled. Loved it and can't wait either more.
Amazing!