June 2, 2023
The great hindrance in spiritual life is that we will look for big things to do. “Jesus took a towel… and began to wash the disciples feet.” There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God’s way of saving us between our times of inspiration. Do not expect God always to give you his thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God.
Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest
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How often do we look at masterful paintings or other works of art and chalk them up to natural talent, disregarding the lifetime of effort that went into them? The painter didn’t go from a beginner to a master; there were thousands of hours of painful drudgery in between, doing the tedious work of learning techniques and practicing.
Often in our spiritual lives, the daily routine wears us out; we want to jump right to the big stuff. We want to go on that mission trip to Africa or start some new ministry. Meanwhile, we’re losing our daily battles to sin, our prayer life could be better, or we have friends and family that don’t know Christ. Our work is right in front of us, but we don’t want to do it because it’s not grand enough. The scripture quoted shows Jesus’ mentality — he washed his disciples’ feet — showing us not only humility, but also that these menial tasks are important. Follow his lead and work on your everyday duties; the big things will come in time, and when they do, you’ll be prepared because you’ve been practicing every day.