Count it all joy

In my usual furiously organised way, I have a recurring weekend schedule that includes various chores spread across the weekends in any given month. 

This morning, it was: clean out all the toilet floortraps; mop all the toilets, the stairwell and laundry area; silicon spray the blinds and doors; empty all the robot vacuums of dust (and hair!) and wash the mop pads; and deep water the grass.

As you can imagine, this takes up a fair amount of time, though I always feel a perverse sense of achievement when I'm done XD

Then I sat down with my wife to work through some family issues, logistical and others, before sending off correspondence and instructions to various service providers. Felt a lot like work. Then my wife went off with my son to look after her parents, run errands for them, spend time bringing them out and making them happy.

In the meantime, I sat down to read through all the financial and audit reports, and the annual reports for church and our associated charities, because I volunteer as the audit committee chair and the audit and council meetings are coming up. By an unfortunate coincidence, I also had to draft the AGM minutes and prepare the annual returns for an alumni club that I volunteer as secretary for. 

Also feels a lot like work, and I know it also creates work for others, because I know every question I have needs someone to look into it (sorry). So, not a lot of intrinsic fun there either. 

And then there were still other things to get done - my daily Indonesian practice which needs some daily grit to get through, plus writing my daily journal and devotion to share with my cell group. 

This week's schedule didn't include writing a blog entry, but... I had a few encounters earlier this week at work, some thoughtful, others frustrating, that really made me think, so I knew I had to pen it all down before I forgot.

I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed/sian when this new song with really simple lyrics came on my music feed. 

Worship! Worship! Worship the Lord! 

I will worship, worship, worship the Lord. 

For who He is and all He's done

Because He lives, we overcome

Worship, worship, worship the Lord.

And I was suddenly reminded that EVERYTHING IS WORSHIP.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17

When I'm scrubbing soap scum and hair out of the toilet traps or digging dirt out of the vacuum, I'm serving my family, and so serving God.

When I'm helping my wife and children with their issues, when we help our parents with their issues, when their challenges become ours, we're serving our family, and so serving God.

When I'm reading dry financial and auditors' reports for church when it feels like just more work, I'm serving my faith community, and so serving God.

When I'm grinding through Indonesian lessons, when I'm writing devotions to share with my cell members, I'm serving my faith family here in Singapore and in Indonesia, and so serving God.

Brother Lawrence was a 17th century monk who was the monastery cook and sandal repairer. Despite his lowly position, he became known for his ability to live in constant awareness of God's presence, turning ordinary tasks into acts of devotion. 

In his short book "The practice of the presence of God", he wrote, "The time of business does not differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, I possess God in great tranquility, as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament"

Every moment, no matter how mundane, can be sacred when lived in God's presence.

Which is great. But ok, how do I live in God's presence? What do I do, so that every mundane moment becomes sacred, and I can continually "possess God in great tranquility"? 

I was asked by someone during the week - you seem like an introspective sort of person who thinks about life (as opposed to a happy go lucky sort). How do I deal with anxiety? Don't I worry every time someone makes an adverse comment about my work? Or, when someone says something good, don't I worry about how I can keep it up? 

When things go wrong, don't I worry about how I could have handled things better? When things go well, don't I worry about how I need to keep things EXACTLY right, so that things continue to go right?

And my response was, yeah I guess I do think a lot about life and stuff (see how I keep writing these blogs for example! Life lessons from everything that happens all the time!)

But actually, I don't really worry a lot about what's already happened. I tend not to dwell about what I've already done, whether well or badly, which I forget quite quickly. And I don't even worry that much about what's ahead, I tend to just plunge forward and try.

To which I was asked, yes but how do you do that? How do you not worry about what's happened or what's coming up? And I didn't have an answer. Then I thought for a bit and asked, actually how often do you just sit and soak in God's presence?

Oh, maybe 10-15 minutes on the commute to work.

Ah.

I think maybe there's something there. You know, worry essentially stems from needing a sense of control over what's happened and what's happening next. But if we learn to surrender our need for control, then worry recedes. And to whom are we surrendering control?

The One who says, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

The One of whom it is said, "For all things work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose... if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:28)

The One to whom I say, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26)

And if I spend every day, and more and more of each moment practising the presence of God, hearing these truths, internalising them and then putting them into practice, then I will learn to surrender more and more. And when I surrender more and more, I worry less and less.

So try that. 

Read the Word everyday. Take the time to articulate a devotion. Doesn't matter whether it sounds like literature or rambling talk. It's spending the time in God's presence that matters. 

While we're moving around on public transport or doing housework, turn on worship music to hear these truths and set them alight in our hearts. 

Choose to serve in your faith community, especially in leadership. The time spent with people who also love the Lord, and in blessing others in the name of Jesus as we serve, is practising the presence of God.

And the more we soak in His presence, the more we experience His love and goodness. The more we experience His love and goodness for us and others, the more we trust Him and can surrender our urge for control. The more we surrender our urge for control, the less we worry.

All good advice I think. Which came in particularly useful for me, since just a few days later, I ran into some really difficult issues myself. 

How will I react to adverse comment, to what seems an uphill or even impossible task to change perceptions, and to general unpleasantness? Will I take my own advice? 

I hope so! Even starting today, with toilet traps, vacuum dustbags, dry financial reports, maintaining the discipline of lessons, devotions and writing, contentions at home and at work... He is amidst all of it. 

And I choose to surrender to the One who is amidst the mundane, the high mountain and the low valley - He makes it all sweet, like honey from the rock (Psalm 81:16), and I can count it all joy (James 1:2)!