I needed to get groceries today. I was almost out of essentials (Read: coffee, peanut butter, toilet paper). But I really didn’t want to. I was tired and hungry. I needed to get home to write this blog. And it was windy and possibly going to start raining (and why the weather impacts this mostly indoor activity, I don’t know, but it does!). I had lots of excuses but finally made up my mind to just do it. So, I went through the motions of picking stuff off the shelves, putting it in my cart, putting it on the conveyor belt, bagging it, putting it back in the cart, putting it in my car, taking it out of my car and finally unpacking it in my house. It’s just such a process! And so mundane, as most chores are.
Our days are filled with the “ordinary.” Taking out the trash, washing dishes, doing laundry, getting gas, cleaning, running errands, taking kids to and from events…And it seems endless. I’m just one person and I feel like as soon as I get my dishes washed, I somehow have another sink full. How does that happen?! What I want is excitement and fun and Kodak moments. Where I usually find myself is finally folding and putting away the laundry that’s been sitting there for three days.
And all these little, mundane moments that we trudge through are what make up most of our life. In Colossians 3:23 it says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human master,” but surely that doesn’t apply to cleaning my toilet, right? How do we find the blessing in that? The thing is, if we wait to thank God until big life things happen, we aren’t going to be living lives of gratitude, because those experiences are few and far between.
Changing our perspective on blessings starts with gratitude. I’m not talking about toxic positivity; there is a time and place for lament and sorrow for the fallen world in which we live. But overall, I find I need to have a better attitude towards the everyday responsibilities that make up much of my life. I have the resources to buy groceries at a store where the shelves are full, so much so that I get decision fatigue often when grocery shopping. I have a car that I can afford to put gas in and keep up with maintenance. I have dishes and clothes to get dirty. You get the idea. God has blessed me so much with so many things, yet I often wait for the “eclipses” of life to happen before I thank him and that needs to change.
So, I encourage you to take a minute before entering each day to pray and ask God to show you where you can look for the blessing. Maybe it’s putting on some worship music or a favorite podcast and tackling those dishes. Maybe it’s connecting with your child as you taxi them around. Maybe you pray for a person with each item of laundry folded. Be creative! I think we’ll be amazed to see the many wonderful ways God is working, even in the mundane.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can make the ordinary more meaningful, check out the best-selling book “Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life” by Tish Harrision Warner. In it she shares, “God is forming us into a new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today.”
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Danielle (Dani) Rupp grew up in a small town in Ohio and is a true Buckeye fan, though she tries not to be obnoxious about it. In 2011 she came to PA to earn her Master of Social Work degree. After graduation Dani accepted a position as a mental health therapist for children and adolescents in Coatesville. She was a nanny for several years as well. During that time she lived in Kennett Square and attended Willowdale Chapel. She returned several years ago from South Asia where she learned to tolerate spicy food and cross the roads without being hit, as well as volunteered with International Justice Mission in their Aftercare Department. In her free time, Dani enjoys going on mission trips/traveling, running, reading, and connecting with loved ones—preferably over coffee and a sweet treat.
WOMEN'S SPRING & SUMMER STUDY
Join Willowdale Women for this in-person summer study that will take place the 2nd Thursday each month (Dates: May 9, June 13, July 11 and August 8) from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at our Kennett Campus. This study will be focused on the book "Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It" by Jennie Allen.