Insights from Bible Study & Carpet Cleaning
One of the things I enjoy most in life is finding the deeper meanings, the deeper truth in the every-day stuff. This has not always been something I enjoy, just mostly in the recent years. I believe our God is big enough to orchestrate His message to be interwoven through-out every circumstance in my life. If I have eyes to see it, and ears to hear it, there is spiritual gold, nuggets of truth waiting for me in the most un-suspecting of places.
I was reminded of this recently when I was reading in Galatians. In Chapter 5 of Galatians, we read about the Freedom we have found in Christ…a freedom that releases us from the duty of the Law. There is an interesting transition in this chapter, highlighting the fact that we are released from the duty of the law so that we could live by the power of the Holy Spirit. This might seemed a little bit weird, because effectively we are released from having to do what God wants for us, in order to be inspired to desire to do what God wants for us. Is this a little bit of reverse psychology? It might seem that way, but there is so much more going on here beneath the surface. When you accept Jesus into your heart, and choose to follow Him, you are choosing to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. We should be challenged by what we read near the end of chapter 5: “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Gal 5:25). When you find yourself following God in every area of your life, you will find God speaking to you in the most un-suspecting of places.
I’ll share a few of my most recent experiences, and then perhaps you will be bold enough to share a few of yours (by commenting at the end of this blog).
1. Manual Labor – Just this past week I finished building a gravel walking path at my house. It seemed like a fun idea, and eventually just became a heap of hard work. The lesson learned through this project was that faithfulness, patience and dedication are found through practicing endurance. There were many times I wanted to just be done with the path, and let it sit half-complete. Much like finishing the gravel path, the work that God is doing within me will require me to break through emotional walls and practice faithfulness.
2. Carpet Cleaning – As I was working on the gravel path, I was reminded of my days working as a carpet cleaner for ChemDry. My days working as a carpet cleaner were layered with fresh lessons on humility and peace. I remember I used to think more of myself when I would clean carpets, wanting the homeowners I was serving to know that I am more important than I appear. The lessons of the carpet teach that my identity is found in Christ; and in Christ alone. I can learn faithfulness and honor in serving in the most simple of roles.
3. LOST- My favorite show on TV now, and for the past few years, is LOST. I know some people stay away from the show, and think that LOST fans are kind of crazy…we are. =) One of the reasons I love this show is that through the many twisted plots and story-lines, there is an ongoing message of redemption for the characters involved. I am inspired every time I watch this show. The story never seems to end; the character development is always evolving more…much like every person around me. LOST reminds me to never write anyone off in life, because redemption and restoration could happen at any time. Just as my favorite characters are consistently changing, so are the people around me as God does new works in all of His children.
4. Serving My Family – Perhaps the greatest lessons come from serving those closest to you. Over the last few years, I have been given the opportunity to serve my family in many different ways. During these years, I have learned more about sacrifice, and the reality that acting in love requires sacrifice…and that is a worthwhile trade.
So, those are a few of my thoughts and musings, what has God been teaching you?
