Checking Myself

I needed this today and you may too.

Yesterday I begrudgingly cut the grass, scrubbed bathrooms, changed bed linens, disciplined a sass mouthed child; all with a self-serving, "is this all there is?" attitude. I knew I was going about it surrounded in negativity and for some reason didn't really do much to change anything. Before I let it carry over into the rest of my week, I went to bed early last night and then read this from Ann Voskamp first thing this morning. I'm sorry if I've posted it before but I go back to these words often. They are such a good reminder. 

"This life of washing dishes, of domestic routine, it can be something wholly different. This life of rote work, it is itself public work, a public serving-even this scrubbing of pans-and thus, if done unto God, the mundane work can become the living liturgy of the Last Supper, I could become the blessing, live the liturgy! I rinse pots and sing it softly, "This is my song of thanks to You..."
      In the moment of singing that one line, dedicating the work as thanks to Him, something-the miracle-happens, and everytime. When service is unto people, the bones can grow weary, the frustration deep. Because, agrees Dorothy Sayers, "whenever man is made the centre of things, he becomes the storm-centre of trouble. The moment you think of serving people, you begin to have a notion that other people owe you something for your pains...You will begin to bargain for reward, to angle for applause,"
      When the laundry is for the dozen arms of children or the dozen legs, it's true, I think I'm due some apprecitation. So comes a storm of trouble and lightning strikes joy. But when Christ is at the center, when dishes, laundry, work, is my song of thanks to Him, joy rains. Passionately serving Christ alone makes us the loving servant to all. When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone-the bones, they sing joy, and the work returns to its purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness.
     "The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action," write Mother Teresa. "If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus...that's what makes us content."
     That is what makes us content-the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ-in whatever skin He comes to us in."
      From One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, p. 194

Sometimes it is just better to use the words of others greater than yourself. I think I am now ready to start this day.