The painter arrived with his two helpers to begin the deconstruction of our home. His helpers were two young, lovely women. I must be sexist. I was surprised that the wallpaper strippers were to be two small framed women.
"You two are going to be ripping down all the wallpaper?" I asked. I think I may have looked dubious.
They nodded.
All I can say is they are better women than I. Or is it me? Either way, I (and me) would not be tackling such a task...for which I was practically dancing with joy.
They went right to work, ripping off huge sheets of forty-year-old wallpaper. They breezed through the kitchen, struggled only a little in the master bedroom, and came to a shrieking halt in the master bathroom. I am very very glad it was them and not me ( or is it I?) employed in this terrible task.
They were cheery, and chattered away as they tackled the wallpaper. It reminded me of a verse that I hold very dear. During our 25-years of homeschool, I often reminded my children of this pithy Biblical admonition.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men... Colossians 3:23
What a transformative verse! If all of us could live this verse, imagine how wonderful the world would be! All those DMV dour faces would be smiling and efficient. No more grumpy Monday mornings. We would greet our bosses, our teachers, our customer service representatives with lilts in our voices and sparkle in our eyes. Delight would ooze from every pore throughout every job required of us. 'Drudgery' would be stricken from the Dictionary.
Men may never know the effort, the love, the attention we pour into our work, but nothing escapes God's notice. This should not deflate or defeat us, but empower us. Every strand of sticky spider web, however hidden, that we remove from the corners of our dirty lives will be applauded. God is in the details. Our hairs are all numbered. Do all things for the Lord, for all things matter to Him. The reward will be worth whatever we must endure. And by the way, do it all with a smile, heartily. Attitude matters.
The happy workers left the house spotless as they finished their tasks for the day.
"You will sleep well tonight, I bet," I said as they walked out the door. Their happy faces beamed just as brightly as they had when they had come in the morning.
"Yes," they agreed.
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Ephesians 6: 7-8
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
What an inspirational story. And an example we would all do well to emulate. Our local recycling center's attendant is like that - super, duper cheery and friendly, even though his job is sorting other people's trash all day.
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