When I look back at my spiritual walk, I can recall some very defining moments. Those moments that brought me into a deeper and more intimate relationship with God. You might be thinking those moments came about when I was reading the Bible, listening to a sermon, through meditation or prayer but they weren’t. It wasn’t until recently, in hindsight, that I even acknowledge the importance of these moments.
I describe these defining moments as, “Joyfully Sacrificing My Flesh (Selfishness) for this Insignificant Task with little Appreciation.” I’m sorry about the long definition but it has truly changed my life. The concept came about when God forced me beyond my comfort, beyond my pleasure, beyond my physical abilities, beyond my emotional capabilities with tasks that were seemingly insignificant and which I got absolutely no acknowledgement for.
I have had several of these defining moments but the one that sticks out to me the most is the one with “My Blessed Toilet Bowl Brush.” For several years I was a stay-at-home mom with 3 preschool aged children. At this time, my life revolved around poopy diapers, crying babies, cooking, cleaning and constant isolation.
One day, on the verge of a total nervous breakdown, I was using my sliver of precious free time to clean the bathrooms. I grabbed the toilet bowl brush in tears and started cleaning but after a minute I finally gave up the pity party. I asked God for help then proceeded to ‘joyfully sacrifice my flesh for this insignificant task with little appreciation” and cleaned my toilets with a smile and a new song in my heart. I basically told God that if this was His will for me, even for the rest of my life, I will choose to be joyful.
There have been hundreds of those defining moments since my blessed toilet bowl brush task and there will be thousands more. Now it wasn’t a clean toilet that brought me closer to God. It was a joyful act of obedience in an area that doesn’t seem to amount to much with no one around to witness it.
It can be easy to obey when we are feeding the homeless, speaking in front of a large group or leading worship. The world tells us those acts are good and we receive many accolades for it. But God is more interested in the private acts of obedience we do with the small and insignificant tasks in life. This REALLY shows where are hearts are and if our flesh is chipped away enough to handle more of His purpose for us.
Fortunately I now have 2 beautiful young ladies that clean my toilets each week. Yay! I’m definitely not perfect but it seems God believes I’ve chipped down my flesh enough to bless me with the opportunity to work as a psychotherapist. And I want MORE!!! I want more of Him and His will in my life. So anytime my flesh starts screaming and there isn’t a single person around to see me throw a pity party, I remind myself that this could be another toilet bowl brush moment. Who knows what God can make out of this seemingly insignificant (yet extremely difficult) act of obedience!
Memory Verse:
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10 (NIV)
Prayer Prompt:
“God, You see my small efforts of obedience. Show me how to find peace even in the most insignificant and trivial areas of my life. I want to always pour You into the center of my daily thoughts, words and actions….”
Contributing Writer:
Christina L. Ketchum
Life Branch Inc.
Just like a toilet needs scouring by obedient hands and brush, we as believers need help at times to remove the built on crud from our past. And though Christ knows the vilest of our crud, He looks at our hearts , and joyfully leads US on the journey of total cleansing so we will walk free into the women or men He longs us to be.
I love this devotional! The struggle in our faith always leads to a stronger relationship with Christ and a greater understanding of His character!
Great post
When I left my career to be a stay at home mom my ego took a hit. Yes, I made the decision to do this (with the blessing of my wonderful husband) but my ego still took a hit. I didn’t know who I was anymore. And I almost felt ashamed to say I was a home maker if anyone asked what I did.
So I began seeking God and He helped me realize that this was the toughest, bravest, and wisest investment I could have ever made. Investing into my sons life, doing all the small insignificant things, will make a world of difference in him. This helps me when I want to throw a pity party for myself.
Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be thinking of this post when I clean my toilets!