A highly valued and beloved work colleague shared this real life story of her children that sounded very familiar to me and my upbringing, but on this occasion really made me think about what that says about the human condition.
The mother has three children. They are all brought up with the need to respect their mother and respect others as well as always putting a good day’s shift to earn their reward. Of course, despite this the children still have a tendency to carry on like little terrors at times. One occasion that gets them all arguing is who will do the washing up. The three of them will bicker because they don’t want to do it, or because they did it last night so it’s not their turn, or they did something else that the other sibling didn’t do, so they shouldn’t have to do it.
Nobody likes washing up, so no one wants to do it and seeks to pass on the buck to another. The mother, however, insists that one of them must do it and in her fair way ensures each person gets the appropriate number of opportunities to get the job done.
The saga goes on almost as a daily ritual in family life. Finally one Christmas morning the mother and children awake to discover that someone has given them the ultimate Christmas gift – a dishwasher. The joy and relief felt by the children is palpable, knowing finally that no one has to do the dreaded washing up.
Just when it was safe to think that the war was over, a new one erupts as to who is responsible to fill the dishwasher and empty it and ensure that it is maintained properly.
The story makes me chuckle, because it’s just like life. At times it appears we want to get the best gain at the cheapest and easiest way and even when our prayers appear to be answered there’s always something that stops us from truly enjoying what we’ve been given. There’s always something to cause an issue. There’s always something that creates a stir.
The grace of God assures me that in Christ everything has been made possible and right relationship with God has been restored and I need not ‘work’ to earn that relationship. Whilst that is true and a necessary part of the personal development in knowing Christ, it is not an excuse to avoid the responsibilities of being a child of God. It is not the license to expect God to deliver the goods for us on tap and for us to avoid the inevitable consequences of following Jesus.
One of the things life continues to surprise me with is that some of God’s greatest blessings in my life took a lot of work for me to appreciate as I was meant to see it in the suffering, in the inconvenience, in the pain, in the toil, in the wilderness time – the blessing was right there staring me in the face and rather than praying against it or trying to avoid it, I actually needed the eyes to see it and the will to embrace it. That’s not a consolation note that every bad should be just accepted. It is an invitation to accept the washing up when it’s your turn, without pining for the dishwasher.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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Life With CD 