The Daily Grind

Posted On September 26, 2021

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'”

Luke 9:23 ESV

Does your job sometimes feel like the daily cross you must bear? An agonizing grind that wears you down? An exhausting series of tasks made possible to face only by consuming copious amounts of caffeine? If so, you’re definitely not alone. I think we all feel this way sometimes. Even on a good day I wouldn’t dream of heading to work without my travel mug full of coffee. I consider it as essential to my teaching job as my class notes and whiteboard markers. I can’t imagine facing my day without it.

But that got me thinking . . . how many times have I tried to face my day without God? If I can’t even get through a few hours without my morning java, why do I think I can get through a whole day without God’s help? If you’re like me, you may be thinking, Yeah, but I don’t have time to add anything else to my schedule! I’m already overwhelmed. Maybe when things slow down, I can find time to work on my faith. But what I have learned is that we don’t have to think of time with our Lord as something separate from our “regular” life or as an extra task we have to make time for. Jesus meets us right where we are.

“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?'”

John 4:6-7 NIV

” . . . imagine the Samaritan woman’s surprise when she went to draw water from Jacob’s well. This was her daily routine, and nothing of importance ever happened until the day a strange man asked her for water. . . . The Samaritan woman thought her life story had already been written. She knew the poor life choices she had made and that she was an outcast in her own culture. She knew the possibilities for a good future were slim to none. . . . The conversation changed her life, and the next time she went back to the well she was a different person. She was filled with Living Water. . . . Jesus showed her that the impossible was possible after all. Jesus is still meeting people where they are. Great things are possible when we choose to follow His Light.”
~Karen Moore, It’s Still Possible

Jesus can meet us in the middle of our everyday, mundane chores and accomplish amazing things in our lives! When we seek Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), not just in church on Sunday morning, but every day wherever we are. He can use any circumstance to speak to us or accomplish something wonderful in our lives, or in the lives of those around us, if only we will look to Him. I’ve learned this isn’t something additional we have to add to our day; it’s more of a change in mindset. When we remember to take our eyes off of ourselves and our problems — even for just a second — and focus on Him instead, we begin to see the astounding ways He is working. Let’s look for Jesus every day in the midst of our ordinary tasks. We will usually find Him there, and we are often changed by the encounter.

“Lord, please help me to recognize You anytime we meet. Help me to invite You into my life every day and not just wait for a chance meeting. I ask You to remind me of who I am in You and of all that is still possible in my life. Amen.”

Karen Moore, It’s Still Possible

“Give us each day our daily bread.”

Luke 11:3 NIV

“Let Me prepare you for the day that stretches out before you. I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it. You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey. You’d feel more prepared if you could somehow visualize what is on the road ahead. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today: Spend quality time with Me. I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey. My living Presence is your Companion each step of the way.”
~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

If only we knew what the day holds, we would know how to prepare for it. Will it be a good day, causing me to smile at a stranger who just happened to need that bit of encouragement? Will it be a long day, requiring me to muster my strength so that I can help someone finish an unexpected task? Will it be a hard day, testing my patience and kindness toward others? Will it be a day when someone comes to me out of the blue and asks me about my faith? Who knows? . . . Well, God does. When we stay connected to Him every day though prayer and His Word, He can prepare us for whatever we are called to face.

I know, I know. We’re busy. I get it. I spent years thinking that someday I would finally get my act together and find more time to study the Bible and pray. The problem is, I never did. I made the task of becoming more “spiritual” seem so daunting that I convinced myself I would never be able to do it right, so I just never did it at all. This is not what God wants. I think about my own kids and grandkids. When my two-year-old granddaughter sees me walk in the door, she runs to me shouting, “Grandma! Grandma! You’re back!” and then gives me a big hug. I ask what she’s been doing, and she may show me a toy she’s playing with or the new dress she’s wearing. We chat and enjoy each other’s company, even as she goes back to whatever she was doing before I got there. I am part of her world, and she’s happy I’m there with her. What she doesn’t do is put off coming to me because she has to find time to learn the “proper” way to approach me. She doesn’t compose an impressive-sounding speech to greet me: “O, holy Grandmother, I am guilty of neglecting thee. Please forgive my transgressions and instruct me in thy ways. Remove all the hardships from my life so that I will have time to adequately devote myself to thy service, O impressive giver of all good gifts. . . .”

The point is, we don’t have to make it complicated! God wants us to come to Him with the exuberance of a child. He wants us to run to Him shouting, “Daddy! Daddy! You’re here!” He wants us to chat with Him about our day and enjoy His company no matter what we are doing. There will be some reading involved, yes, because the main way God speaks to us through His Word. But we don’t have to make this an overwhelming task, either. Maybe we don’t think we have time to “do it right,” but anything is better than nothing. Spending five minutes a day reading the Bible is better than spending ten years putting it off. I have found that as I focus on God throughout my day, I naturally crave His voice. I long to get into His Word and hear what He has to say to me about whatever is on my mind. When I speak to Him throughout the day, I can’t wait to find out what He wants to tell me in response. God doesn’t need us to be more “spiritual” before we can approach Him. He just wants to spend time with us because He loves us. Our Father is with us every day, ready and waiting to help us. All we have to do is ask.

“Stay in continual communication with Me, whispering My Name whenever you need to redirect your thoughts. Thus, you can walk through this day with your focus on Me. My abiding Presence is the best road map available.”

Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

“Encourage yourselves daily while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.”

Hebrews 3:13 NABRE

“So often, our unbelief arises as a result of discouragement. It comes from not seeing God’s hand in our situation or the promises He’s given us fulfilled. Somehow, the delays and disappointments remind us of the ways others have let us down. We confer their untrustworthiness to the Lord. This is why it’s so important to share our testimonies of God’s faithfulness and encourage one another with the truth that He always keeps His word. Unfortunately, we do the opposite at times. Rather than recount all the blessings He’s given us, we get together and complain. And the disbelief spreads. Therefore, if we want to take hold of the promises God has for us, we must be on the lookout for unbelief — both in us and in others — and we must root it out. We must encourage ourselves daily in the Word and remind others of how the Lord has come through for us in the past. Because circumstances will arise that will make us doubt. But if we have a community of faith to support and reassure us, it will lessen the blow and make our trials an encouraging testimony for all involved.”
~Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

This world, in and out of the workplace, can be tough. It’s full of hardships and evil and brokenness. If we’re not careful, it can derail or even destroy our faith. That’s why it’s so important to stay focused on God and His Truth. When we stay connected to our Father, He can give us eyes to see beyond the troubles of this world, and He can help us understand our place in it. He can show us the unseen ways He’s working. He can whisper encouraging words. He can even give us glimpses of our future. When we come to Him, full of awe and wonder, ready to be amazed, it’s been my experience that He doesn’t disappoint. He has blown my mind on more than one occasion!

As we let ourselves be encouraged by God’s promises and by the ways we see Him working, we also equip ourselves to encourage others. One way to let God shine throughout our work day is to let Him shine through us. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of complaining at work. I’m very guilty of this! It’s natural to focus on the bad things that happen and neglect the good things. Let’s try to do the opposite. Let’s try to brighten someone else’s day, and in return, ours will become a little brighter, too. If we practice recalling God’s past faithfulness, focusing on the ways we see Him working now, and looking toward the future with hope, we end up spending our entire day thinking about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Soon this becomes our natural mindset and we can lead others to Christ simply by being in their presence. Our encouraging light can be our witness.

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to invite God to be with us throughout our day as we deal with our regular tasks. No matter what job we have, we are called to be witnesses for Christ and to share His love and encouragement with others. Our heavenly Father promises to give us what we need every day to do the work He has called us to do. So as we head off to work, caffeine in hand, let’s remember that God is our true source of power!

“God meets daily needs daily. Not weekly or annually.
He will give you what you need when it is needed.”

Max Lucado

References:

• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
• Moore, Karen. It’s Still Possible: 100 Reminders That God Can Do All Things. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
• Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories. Thomas Nelson, 2019.

Images:

• Coffee Grinder Featured image by Manuel de la Fuente from Pixabay
• Coffee with Alarm Clock image by congerdesign from Pixabay
• Coffee with Bible image by mnplatypus from Pixabay
• Cappuccino with Happy Face image by poohchisa tunsiri from Pixabay
• Coffee with Cross image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay