Using Your Gifts

I spent most of yesterday trying to create order out of chaos.

I sorted through a big pile of freshly laundered clothes. I folded some, put some on hangers. Put some in the closet and some in the drawers. Made breakfast, did dishes. Sifted through paperwork on the countertop and put books away. Deleted fifty-seven emails before lunch, saved about ten for later, and did the same after lunch. Tidied up my kitchen countertops and neatly arranged all the toiletries by my bathroom sink, picked up socks from the floor, made the weekly menu and a grocery list.

I went up and down the stairs at least thirty times.

I wrote a post, created graphic images, monitored comments on a group FaceBook page, did maintenance on my website, facilitated a Skype meeting, read God’s Word aloud to my kiddos, helped with their homeschooling, squeezed in a trip to the grocery store…and I still looked around and thought, what did I do today? Where is the proof of my work?

Often, the only time you can see my work is when I have left it undone. If I do my work well, no one sees.

Nothing I did yesterday will stand. Almost everything I did, will be repeated today, tomorrow, the next day, or the next. Some days the sheer futility of repetition discourages me.

Many days I want to make a difference, not a sandwich. [tweetthis]Many days I want to make a difference, not a sandwich.[/tweetthis]

I want to do something important and grand like Queen Esther—her involvement was instrumental in saving her people:

“If you stay silent during this time, deliverance for the Jews will come from somewhere, but you, my child, and all of your father’s family will die. And who knows? Perhaps you have been made queen for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14, VOICE).

But I’m no Esther. I’m a stay-at-home mom.

Like I said, some days my mundane life discourages me…no visible progress, no fanfare, and often, no “thank you.”  None of the things I mentioned above were on my to-do list…they are just “regular stuff.” So, I didn’t get to cross anything off! 😛

This is my list for the week:

• Write two guest posts (DeeperWaters and KristinHillTaylor)
• Finish writing the #Write31Days series
• Edit six more chapters in order to submit my book proposal
• Write content for Lenten project website
• Fix SEO errors

And if I don’t start making progress, it could be a steep climb for me.

Yet. Against all odds, yesterday I felt victorious and effective. How could I feel joy on such a hum drum, no-progress day?

Believe it or not, our theme for the week reminded me that I serve the Lord with each task! All day, I was mindful that the Lord arranges my schedule. He makes my path smooth or takes me off-road. [tweetthis]The Lord arranges my schedule. He makes my path smooth or takes me off-road[/tweetthis] And keeping this in mind provided sweet relief.

Whatever I did, I did for His glory and not mine (1 Cor 10:31). Yesterday, that is. Today…I hope I can do the same. Tomorrow, and every day, I want to remember that my life is meant to be a life of worship—that my small voice is one of many.

With all that I do, I belong to a multi-cultural, mult-denominational, multi-generational, and multi-national chorus, singing:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Rev 4:11, ESV).

What kind of worship did you do yesterday? [tweetthis]What kind of worship did you do yesterday? [/tweetthis] Did you glorify the Lord by teaching Bible study or folding laundry? Did you lay hands on the sick or on a dirty diaper? Did you lead choir practice or sing “Veggie Tales” in the car?