I’ve been back teaching in a middle school classroom after almost twenty years. A lot has changed, most notably the technology, of which I am still figuring out, but a lot has remained the same: adolescent drama, eye-rolling over homework, the surprising depth of teen’s questions and comments, and the delight in seeing something “click” for a student. And grammar. As one friend reminded me, grammar hasn’t changed.
I had to remind myself of this fact on my first day back when one student raised her hand and asked if I could explain to her what a “verbal” is. To say I couldn’t remember is an understatement; I had nothing. There was nothing in my brain to draw from when I heard the grammar term, “verbal.” I quickly reminded myself that grammar has not changed; therefore, somewhere in my four years of studying college-level English I learned about a verbal.
Surely?
But nothing came to mind. Not even a good, educated guess. So, I asked the student to sit back down and think for a few minutes about what she could remember regarding this grammatical concept. And then we’d talk. I immediately opened my computer and attempted to inconspicuously Google, “What the heck is a verbal.”
I’ve also been reminded how much mundane work there is in teaching. My favorite part of being in the classroom has always been the potential to impact kids, to help them understand a concept or to see them get excited about engaging with the material. But amidst these more remarkable moments, there are many routine ones that seem to just get in the way.
The Mundane Matters to God
For most of us, our days are inevitably filled with mundane tasks: entering grades, inputting data, washing the dishes, filling out paperwork, and chauffeuring the kids. The more “remarkable” moments seem few and far between. But every task, every single task, should matter to us because they matter to God.
Scripture is filed with Jesus using ordinary moments to show his extraordinary power. In the book of John, Jesus asks the servants at the Wedding feast at Cana to fill jars with water. I can imagine the frustration with such a tedious task since there were six large stone water jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons of water. Talk about a menial job! But they listened and obeyed, and as a result, the servant’s witnessed the power and might of Jesus when he changed each jar of water into fine wine. The ordinary led to something extraordinary.
Creation itself speaks into our Savior’s view of repetition. We would not call the rising and setting of the sun monotonous, but instead this daily routine marks God’s faithfulness day in and day out. Our sin has made it so that repetition and mundane tasks leave us feeling tired and grumpy, but this is not so for our great God. He continues to make the seasons come and go, and as the Psalmist reminds us: “The heavens declare the glory of God…Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge…” (Psalm 119). Each day of creation’s mundane work is nothing short of magnificent, and God is glorified in it.
Mundane Tasks Are An Invocation Not Just Part Of Our Vocation
I’ve read a bit about the way Brother Lawrence viewed his daily tasks. He looked at the simple task of washing dishes as a way to bring glory to God, I find his perspective beautiful:
The most effective way Brother Lawrence had for communicating with God was to simply do his ordinary work. He did this obediently, out of a pure love of God, purifying it as much as was humanly possible. He believed it was a serious mistake to think of our prayer time as being different from any other. Our actions should unite us with God when we are involved in our daily activities, just as our prayers unite us with him in our quiet devotions” (The Practice of the Presence of God, 24).
Do we invite Jesus into the mundane tasks we’re called to? Do we ask God to make Himself known to us in our small acts of service? In doing so, in inviting Jesus into these everyday routines, we are embracing the joy found in following Jesus in the vocation He has called us to, whether we’re a stay-at-home mom or a CEO of a company. As Brother Lawrence says, “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”
The next time we are tempted to invite in stress or frustration due to seemingly insignificant tasks, invite the Lord into the work. As Psalm 118 reminds the believer, “THIS is the day that the Lord has made…” He has created this day and every detail in it has purpose. “…Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Brothers, Sisters, let us find joy in the tasks God has given us and be glad that we serve a God who cares even about the mundane parts of our day.
