Cleaning Toilets for God

I was at some church activity the summer after sixth grade, and I remember specifically hearing someone say a phrase along the lines of, "...you can even clean toilets for Jesus!" Ever since then, I have made it my mission to personally scour every potty as if my Lord were watching me. But as I was engaging in other cleaning activities at my workplace a few weeks back, I realized that my attitude was not carrying over for some reason.

You see, I have a pretty laid back job. You chop, you mix, you refill, and you clean. That's pretty much the gist. And I happen to be very skilled at all four of those activities. Enough so, that I tended to fly through them as quickly as possible, making sure to do a decent job, but otherwise looking forward to the time afterwards where I would be able to read, or check my e-mail, or clock out.

But, through a particularly humbling conversation with my boss, and a little processing, I realized that I wasn't really cleaning toilets for God. Or anything else for that matter. Sure, I was actively engaging with my coworkers. Sure, I was competent at what I did. But was I really serving? Was I really present? Definitely not. I was too busy thinking about what I could do afterward. Who I needed to talk to. Conflicts I needed to resolve. Buses I needed to catch.

What has begun to be steadily pounded into my brain is that I need to be actively engaging in the moment, whatever that may be. Thinking about the future is great, and so is being prepared, but I don't think that Jesus was pondering what he was going to have for dinner the next night while he was washing the disciples feet. And even though the task allowed for him to be all over the place mentally if he desired, I'm positive that he was using the time instead to intentionally impart a lesson to those around him. (John 13: 1-17)

So, in the coming week, my challenge to both myself, and to you, is to stop being so distracted, and to start actively engaging where you are at. And whatever you may be metephorically or literally washing, toilets and feet included, do so intentionally, gracefully, and joyfully.

What do you think? Do you actively engage in mundane moments so that they reflect God? Or are you distracted? What are some things that you've experienced that help you focus when it's "just another day?"