02/19/2017
The mundane acts of life... do they drag you down or define your faith? Moreover, are they mundane at all, or just the day to day living of a life of faith?
There are two definitions of this word, the first is "relating to, or characteristic of this world" and the second is "characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary."
We read all the time about the great men and women of faith, but writers and pastors rarely speak of those who go about their lives serving God in all of the small routine chores and expectations of life. We seldom hear about the foot washers, those humble souls that work day and night for the kingdom with little recognition outside of heaven.
St. Catherine's Monastery, an Eastern Orthodox monastery, sits at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Egypt and is said to be the oldest working Christian monastery in existence. It is built at the site where Moses is believed to have witnessed the burning bush. Yet, despite all the years it has housed those seeking Christ, while they created Icons and performed various tasks for the kingdom, you are probably hearing about its existence for the first time, and certainly can't name any of those who have served the kingdom doing everyday tasks in service to Christ there. Our daily Christian lives are much like those of the men who have served for centuries in obscurity at St. Catherine's; we quietly go about worshiping and doing the mundane for Christ.
Who cleans the bathrooms at your church? Who takes the refuse to the dumpster, mows the grass, weeds the beds, fills the communion glasses, and orders supplies? These are mundane tasks that when done in the right spirit are holy. Who mows the grass for the elderly woman down the street, takes a crippled man to the doctor each month, helps a child with their homework, serves meals at a food kitchen, loves their spouse every day as Christ loved the church, or washes the clothes and bodies of those who can't fend for themselves? These are also Holy when done in the Spirit and as a manifestation of our faith. But, rarely are they recognized for the righteousness they embody. They are done like so many of our prayers... in secret.
Do you recognize these acts for what they are? Do you honor them as godly? How about if you heard of a woman who donated her time to bathe invalids every day for a year? Would that be worthy of note? How about if she did it every day for a decade, or maybe until she became so old that others had to bathe her? When does the mundane become holy in our eyes? Well... It should happen each and every time someone serves in faith. Isn't that the message Jesus was delivering to His disciples as He washed their feet? You are not above the mundane, you are first and foremost a servant.
Oswald Chambers said this very well when he wrote these words...
"It requires the inspiration of God to go through drudgery with the light of God upon it. Some people do a certain thing and the way in which they do it hallows that thing for ever afterwards. It may be the most commonplace thing, but after we have seen them do it, it becomes different. When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it. Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost." - Oswald Chambers
We have all seen this in those around us; a simple thing that was made Holy by how, or why, it was done. We also know people who live their entire lives never dreaming of becoming a superhero of faith, or even viewing themselves as a sidekick, but serve only as a walk-on in the serial of life. Yet, as we watch them we realize that they have reached superhero proportion by doing the everyday things in righteousness. They are "Mundane Man" or "Super Jesus Mom", and reflect Christ in the myriad of small, but holy, things they do. Others might see us that way too, but only if we order our lives to reflect God, and do each of the small things for His glory and purposes. Life for most of us isn't made up of grand quests that reach biblical proportion... our lives are millions upon millions of mundane things; all done with Christian intent.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
Isaiah 60:1 ESV
Prayer:
Father, as I serve others in the common needs of life, let me do so in a spirit that is of you. Help me to find in my efforts the reflection of you. May my life be comprised of millions of tiny mirrors, each seemingly insignificant, but every one reflecting your light. Let me see you looking back at me in the eyes of those I help, and at the end of the day when I rest and reflect on my work, show me your pleasure, and give me your peace. Lord, in those things I do quietly and solely for you, the tasks I accomplish secretly for your kingdom, let them remain between us and become jewels that we can bring out in our quiet times together and marvel at in their intricate beauty... let us appreciate them, like tiny ships in a bottle, unseen by all but we two. Let the mundane in my life be a blessing to you... and to all those I serve in your name.
Rich Forbes