The Every Day's Work

When I think of the "every day's work," I think of the boring, the mundane, the repetitious things that plague my life. Like laundry. I wash and wash and wash... and just when I get the last load in the machine, somebody takes a shower. Then there is a new pile of clothes waiting. It seems so endless... so pointless!

Dishes are another sore spot. I wash them. And just as I clean off the counter and put away the last dish, I walk into the living room or dining room and see cups lying around. Every day's work.

Every day... practically the same. I get up and straighten my room, make breakfast for the family, and we homeschool. Grading papers... YUCK!  And guess what... I get to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. The routine, the repetition is often painful and annoying.  Every day's work.

I think that is why I did so well on deputation. Every day was something new and exciting, a new place to go, new people to meet. But here? I am not out there taking trips to villages or travelling like Jason is. I am not out there going to language school. I am not out there having meetings with people to talk of new ministry ideas and opportunities over lunch. Jason is doing all that. I am just... doing every day's work here at the house.

Every day's work.

And then I did my devotions this morning. Oh, how priceless is God's Word! It goes straight to the heart of the matter, to the heart of the problem. It just goes straight to the heart!


"So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:" 1 Chronicles 16:37
 These men were given the duty of the every day things of the ark. The ark of God. It represented God's presence. It was where God chose to come down and meet with His people. It was symbolic of Christ.  When it was first created, it was reverenced, respected, feared, and treasured. Over time, it was taken for granted. Then it became nothing more than an idol and a good luck charm.

The ark was captured in battle, but after God judged the Philistines who possessed it, they returned it. You would think there would be a great celebration in Israel, and the ark would have been returned to its rightful spot immediately, but it wasn't. No, it was not brought back for many years. The people had lost confidence in the ark. They no longer valued it.

Finally, the ark was brought back. At first, it was mishandled. Then it spent more time sitting in another house. David, however, treasured the ark. He realized it was the representation of God's presence. Oh, how he desired God's presence! David just had to learn how to handle this holy item the way God commanded.

And the ark was brought back. These men in 1 Chronicles 16:37 were given the privilege of tending to the every day's work of the ark. They had the opportunity to demonstrate the value of the things of God. They had the opportunity in front of the people to give the things of God the priority they deserved. They were not doing exciting things. They were doing the mundane, every day's work.

So what does this mean to me?

The family. It was designed by God. In a world that is fighting to devalue the family, I have the privilege of doing the every day's work in such a manner that it demonstrates the value GOD places on the family. Laundry, dishes, cooking, homeschooling, disciplining... it may not be exciting, but it is in how I carry out the every day's work that people see how valuable these things are.

If I treat the every day's work with reverence, respect, and cheer, those around me will realize that the family is so precious that even the mundane every day things are a privilege.

In this country, families are often separated. The father often goes to another country to work for years at a time. Children are not disciplined until the mother becomes angry. The punishment is often slaps to the face, and the child's anger grows. Even among the Christians there is a lack of understanding of the family unit, the home, and Biblical child rearing. There is a lack of closeness and communication in the family. Most Christians are first generation Christians and have a hunger to learn these things. What an opportunity for our family to demonstrate the Biblical family unit! But in order to do that I must learn to treasure the every day's work.



I pray that the Lord teaches me to truly treasure the every day's work He has called me to.

Do you struggle with treasuring the day to day tasks?