The other day Jonas went down for a nap and I decided we needed to go outside. I felt the boys just needed to be out in the fresh air. A lot of times when we go outside I don't direct their activities because I want them to have the freedom to explore their world and make fun for themselves. So I decided I would use this time to do some raking. I ended up spending 2 hours raking the entire backyard. I felt very good about this because I was getting some exercise while accomplishing a task that needed to be done. It was a very satisfying feeling. I wasn't going to tell Matt about it because I wanted it to be a surprise. Well, he had night class and didn't come home until it was dark so I thought he could just see the good work I had done in the morning. However, by the time morning came the ground was literally covered with leaves. I could not even see the grass. All my work from the previous day was covered by a new batch of leaves that had blown in overnight. I immediately thought of Ecclesiastes and wanted to shout "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." I have thought this a lot of times about dishes. The minute I get the kitchen clean, it is a big fat mess again after the very next meal. Sometimes I think the majority of my housework is in vain. The minute I finish a task, it gets undone. So it got me thinking about the meaning of these mundane tasks that we all face from day to day. I thought I would find some answers in Ecclesiastes, so that was my starting point.
"For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity. There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?" - Ecclesiastes 2:22-25 True meaning, pleasure, joy, satisfaction etc. all come from the hand of God. So I am reminded to keep my eyes set on Him, especially in my everyday tasks, when it is easy to lose perspective. It goes on to say "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor- it is the gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 This says that we should see good in all our labor because it is a gift from God. So I am reminded to be thankful for all of those leaves that I have to rake because it means that I have a warm house to live in with a backyard for the kids to play in, when there are people who don't have a home or a bed to sleep in ... to be thankful for all those dirty dishes because that means that I have had three wholesome, delicious meals to eat everyday, when there are people who are hungry and don't even have clean water to drink. Then it says, "Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved of your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 This passage reminds me to perform my daily tasks with a cheerful heart. I have put a lot of thought into this one in particular. I think it is important for my children to see me doing work around the house, but it is even more important for them to see me performing those tasks with a good attitude and a cheerful heart. The Pearl's say in one of their books "Actions speak louder than words, but attitude speaks louder than actions."
So I learned an extraordinary lesson from the ordinary... God is in the mundane-especially in the mundane... teaching me to have a thankful, cheerful heart and reminding me that He gives meaning to my life- even in my everyday tasks.
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