I decided to go on a mad cleaning spree at my apartment today. Dishes were piled in the sink, candy wrappers were on the floor, and crumbs covered the coffee table. The place was definitely in need of a good wipe down. I put some Lecrae/Ascend the Hill on the speakers and went at it.
After I had cleaned the kitchen and straightened up the living room, I needed to vacuum the place. As I was vacuuming around our kitchen table, I was faced with a dilemma: do I take the extra time to move all of the chairs out of the way so I can vacuum under the table OR do I take the easy route and just vacuum around the chairs, leaving any dirt or crumbs to remain under the table until another time. The latter was my choice. I had been cleaning for an hour already, I hate vacuuming, and I just didn't want to move the chairs. Besides, it really didn't look that dirty under there anyway. The Lord chose this time to remind me of 3 verses that I had written down in my room:
1. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31
2. "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 3:17
3. "If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." -1 Peter 4:11
The common link in these 3 verses is the idea that whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of the Lord. This includes vacuuming around my kitchen table. In what way would it be glorifying to my Father if I half-heartedly vacuumed around the chairs? I would be doing unsatisfactory job of vacuuming because I chose not move the chairs so that I could vacuum under the table. It would be out of sheer laziness, apathy, and passivity that I would choose to simply vacuum around the chairs instead of moving them. Those 3 words are like poison to Christianity, and they are in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY glorifying to our Creator.
I don't want any of those 3 words to ever be used to describe me or something I did. If they can be used, then I have sinned and need to repent. I refuse to be a lazy, apathetic, or passive husband and Christian because not only would it be incredibly unloving to Bree, but more importantly because it robs the King of His glory. There are many areas of my life in which I do this, I rob Him of glory, and I am not OK with that.
I want to give anyone that reads this the authority to speak into my life. Ask me how I am glorifying God with anything you see me doing. Challenge me to glorify Him more in all areas of my life. Encourage me if you see me doing this well. I want to be a man that glorifies God in all that I do, even the smallest, most mundane, insignificant things.
Like vacuuming under the kitchen table.
