Piled high everywhere my eyes could see…they were waiting for me. Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday’s dirty dishes were not only in the sink, but on the counter, on the stove and on the table. Pots stuck with tomato sauce, coffee grounds in the sink, batter from the pie I just made dried on the counter. A mess. A pure mess right before my eyes.
After a long day of working, this is the LAST thing I want to do. But I knew one more day would be unbearable. So I took my rings off, heated up the water, and started – dish by dish. As the warm, sudsy water covered my hands and I scrubbed each pot and dish, a peace took over my anxiety. After each pot was finally clean, the counters were wiped, dishes were put away, and the pie I had put in the over earlier sent a sweet, chocolaty aroma into the air. These little tasks that can seem insurmountable can be the holiest ones we do of the day. They are unnoticed by most, repetitive at best, and hard every day. But the mixture of humility, simplicity, and serenity that comes from doing something like the dirty dishes is one that I don’t want to miss.

In the Kingdom of God, there’s a holy worship about doing the little things, the everyday things, well and for His glory. Satan would love nothing more than to steal the joy from us of doing small things for Jesus. For me, the dirty dishes, the laundry piled high, and the mail that accumulates on the counter can all be a struggle to complete after I long day. I love getting things done, but only ones that get me somewhere else. Doing the laundry and the dishes is an endless cycles. But, could it be, that God is using the small things to change us? Those small decisions of faithfulness lead us to the cross. To do the dishes joyfully is one way to take up the cross.

Jesus called us to deny ourselves daily, take up our cross, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) Literally, we are to say “no” to our selfish desires and follow Jesus. In the saying of “no,” we are embracing the truest “yes” – life in Christ. 

The dishes were piled high this week because life was lived. We cooked for our small group Monday night, and then Tuesday night had a mini-adventure. Those dishes were truly a testament of us trying to focus on the things that matter eternally. If your dishes are piled high and your heart feels weak, know that there is grace for you from Christ. As you start to clean them, you will be surprised at the holy worship that can come from the mundane. Christ is in all things and He is supreme in all things. Even those dishes. 

Let’s roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty, and worship our Savior who deserves our adoration.

doing the dishes with you,

Gretchen