Even the mundane

Every job seems to have at least one mundane aspect that could be classified as one's least favorite task. I absolutely loved being a teacher, but I wasn't always keen on the hours and hours of grading involved. Some unpleasant tasks we only face once or maybe a few times in our lifetime, such as potty training a child, but there are many mundane tasks that show up on one's "to do" list on a very regular basis. In a Bible study I completed on the life of Gideon, the author made two points about mundane tasks. First, she pointed out that God sent an angel to speak to Gideon while he was in the middle of a very mundane task - threshing wheat. Many times God uses a still small voice (I Kings 19) to speak to us while we are doing something very ordinary. Second, instead of complaining that it's time to once again scrub the toilet, fold the laundry, or cook another meal, we should stop and count our blessings. Many are searching for a job and would love to have the opportunity to grade papers. I need to dust, vacuum, and scrub toilets because I am blessed to live in a house. Thousands of people starve to death every day, and I am complaining about the effort involved in preparing yet another meal? It is so easy to take for granted the blessings in our life and to actually complain about things others can only dream of experiencing. The next time you are tempted to complain about a task that seems unpleasant to you, stop and reflect on the blessing in your life it represents. We have been very richly blessed.