Glory in the Grunt Work

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Have you ever noticed that when we refer to an unpleasant, difficult, or mundane task, we often imply that it has accumulated to a level that is beyond reason or fairness? From piles of snow and stacks of overdue projects to mounds of dirty laundry or mountains of bills to pay, there are times when life seems to be consumed by sky-high drudgery. No matter which metaphor you prefer, from gobs to loads, there’s not a human being who doesn’t make mountains out of molehills when it comes to things they dread doing.
In some ways, the worst part of grunt work is the anticipation of it. Just knowing something arduous is headed your way, whether its hours or weeks away, can become a heavy cloud over your mood or a huge weight on your shoulders until you get it done. When we know a task or uncomfortable situation is inevitable, we often struggle to enjoy being in the moment or even concentrating on what we’re doing right now. And if there’s any way the drudgery can wait, we may even fall into the trap of procrastination and then moan in misery when we realize that putting it off made it even worse.

So how do we find God’s glory in the grunt work of life? Scripture gives us very specific promises and clear direction in this matter because God knew that drudgery and mundane tasks would consume more of our waking hours that we would like them to. Sorry, I know that’s a very pessimistic thing to say, but stick with me on this topic because good and amazing things can come out of what we perceive to be miserable, but necessary uses of our time. Wherever your source of drudgery is usually found — in your job, home chores, family responsibilities, health problems, financial issues, etc. -- God’s design for your life includes miraculous transformation in every little detail.

In pondering my own snow and ice shoveling misery this week, God led me to see five steps toward glorifying Him even in the most annoying situations. But before we jump into those, it is important to understand the Biblical premise of transformation. In fancy Christian lingo, it is called sanctification. It’s a difficult word with an easy concept to grasp, but oh so hard to implement. It simply means the believer’s process in becoming more like Jesus. When we choose to pursue a life given over to His leadership, we enter the process of sanctification and are slowly transformed over time. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says all believers become a new creation in Christ. Sometimes, however, the fruit or outcome of this transformation is hard to see. Sanctification is the spiritual mystery we must believe is at work at all times in every Christ follower, even if we can’t see the evidence immediately.

What’s so fascinating about sanctification is that its transformative work occurs in two different ways. First, the Bible promises that we are continually being transformed as we let the Holy Spirit work in us. Second, any task we perform is an opportunity for sanctification, no matter how exciting or mundane, and is inexplicably and often invisibly transformed into an act of divine glorification. And guess what? When we are glorifying God, misery becomes magnificence. This may seem like an impossibility, but for these five steps to work, we must begin by believing that God not only makes all things possible but that He can also transform the most common things on a daily basis.

Step 1: Embrace God's direction 
1 Corinthians 10:31 gives us this command, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This verse isn’t hard to understand, although many have tried to make the interpretation of it complicated. It means what it says. It means everything you do — from giving someone a hug to cleaning toilets — do it all as for the Lord. Perhaps not as obvious, but as vitally important, it also means that it is indeed possible to glorify God in everything we do. It is possible to experience His glory all day long.
People often wonder what God’s will is for their lives, but they fail to start with the most basic direction from Him. In order to obey this command, we must embrace God’s foundation of truth. When we embrace someone or something, we go far beyond resignation, way past acceptance, and plunge headlong into passion. Jesus was passionate about conquering the sin in our lives with His sacrifice, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can humbly surrender our desires, stubbornness, and resentments to Him. 

Step 2: Shift your perspective
There are no shortcuts on this step because it takes practice to continually ask God to shift your perspective and give you the eyes to see your situation from His point of view. For example, God may look at a stack of dirty dishes as a character builder or a humility generator, but you just see it as something your spouse forgot to do. Your perspective will make you grumpy with each crusty dish that goes into a time-consuming soak. God’s perspective yields sanctification. Yours would only yield frustration. Romans 8:28 says God works all things… ALL things … for His glory. Brother Lawrence, a monk who learned to communicate with God virtually every waking moment no matter what he was doing, said, “The difficulties of life do not have to be unbearable. It is the way we look at them — through faith or unbelief — that makes them seem so. We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”

Step 3: Continually confirm and communicate
1 Timothy 4:4-5 says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” This is such an instructive verse. Everything received with gratitude to God is transformed through the power of Scripture and a prayer of surrender. When we continually go to the Word to confirm our validation and direction and then follow that up with constant communication with God through prayer during every task, we can have complete trust that He will use anything we do for His purposes.

Step 4: Use Your Imagination
Since God said He will transform every task, then imagining how He might choose to do so is not only a way of praising Him, but it will also help pass the time during an especially boring or long task. Divinely directed visualization is encouraged in Scripture and not many adults know how to do it or are comfortable with the concept, but when you combine imagination with prayer, you open up your heart and mind to see the impossible. 1 Corinthians 10:33 instructs us to do everything with love towards God and others, knowing that every moment is an opportunity to encourage others and point them to the love of Jesus. (Read more about using your imagination for God in this post.)

Step 5: Receive the promise
Jesus’ sacrifice guarantees that we will find more than we ever imagined by letting Him lead our hearts and lives. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Although we are to offer everything up to God solely because we love Him, Scripture makes it clear that He will reward us for doing so. When the going gets tough, we can rest assured that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There is always a reason for the struggle. We have the reward of hope in every task and in every moment.

Oswald Chambers said, “If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed. The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it.” So next time you’re facing that mountain of misery, take God at His Word, pray your way through it, and then watch it transform into a gift of glory.

For Further Reflection
For those of you who use these weekly posts as devotional content, I’ll be including three reflection questions from now on. Consider writing your answers down in a notebook or journal so that you can capture your journey with Jesus. Recording your prayers, praises, and progress is not only an effective way of preventing spiritual drift, but it will also encourage you during hard times.

• How have you seen God transform mundane or miserable tasks in your life? Which ones do you need His help with right now?
• What scripture verse jumped out at you today? Why do you think God has brought this to your attention?
• Which of the five steps do you need to work on the most? What do you think God is leading you to do next? 

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