A Picture from Dirty Dishes

Washing dishes can be a truly enlightening experience if one is willing to do some hard thinking while scrubbing, wiping, rinsing, and drying. Perhaps this never ending chore offers us Christ followers one of the simplest pictures of our daily life and ministry in this fallen world. 

You see dirty dishes just never seem to end. They pile up everywhere! In the sink, on the counters, the stove, and even on the floor! You could wash all day long and have a glowing kitchen at the end of the day, but the next day all your hard work would be undone as one by one each dish returns to its dirty state. However, as I scrub and scrub away I realize that this chore is so necessary for me to do so that I can serve my family. How else would I be able to cook and feed them yummy, healthful meals? And how else would they be able to enjoy these meals without creating dirty dishes in the process? You see, as we have all heard before, when it comes to serving, getting dirty just comes along with the mission. 

So I may be left with my sink filled with dirty dishes, but along the way I have served my family. So my kitchen really is a holy place that transforms dirty dishes into dishes that are ready for service.

The same is true with ministry and serving people. After growing up as a pastor's kid, my heart at times struggles with the thought of being involved in church ministry because of how hard it is and how ugly it can be. In ministry you really see the "dirty" side of people and yourself. But perhaps the church is much like my kitchen: a place where sinful people can come, be cleansed, and prepared for service. I think I often times grow impatient because the same "dishes" keep coming back dirty, but maybe that is because the Lord is using those "dishes" to do his work. 

As I was seeing this picture in my mind as I washed my dishes tonight, I was encouraged about ministry. It is good to see things from a new perspective and a fresh view point. Maybe these thoughts will help you too.