Core Scripture: “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Message: We have ALL been there.  You get that task from the administration that you see as mundane.  A total time waster.  As a former educator, for me it was those stupid videos I had to watch and pass tests over.  On my own planning time.  The selfish side of me was spouting off.

I already know this stuff!  Why am I wasting my time doing this?  How can I cheat my way through it?  I certainly have the right to complain about it to others, don’t I?  I mean, even my Christian teacher friends are frustrated about it.  So why can’t I be frustrated too?

Or to translate this to a single word that my old middle school students would completely understand … BRUH!

I had one of those tasks at Amazon yesterday.  The snowy weather meant no trucks were able to deliver packages to us, so what did that mean?  That meant the management had to keep us busy.  I was the first one back from break when Stephen was on the microphone.

“Hello, Amazonians!  Welcome back from break!  If you would please make your way to me to get your task, I would greatly appreciate it!”

I actually smiled at him and took a few steps backwards.  I had no clue what was coming, but it couldn’t be too fun.  Sure enough, I was assigned to wipe down tables in the break room.  Eh, could have been worse.

I was given a container of Lysol wipes and got started, enjoying listening to some sweet tunes on my new Amazon approved headphones.  This wasn’t so bad.  I mean, there were countless tables that needed to be wiped down, but I was cool with that.

“Hey, Clint,” Derek shouted from the doorway to the warehouse.

I looked up, pulling out one of my headphones.

“Can you use this cleaner and wipe off all the Christmas paint from the windows?” 

“Sure,” I said.  “Do you want me to stop doing the tables and start on the windows?”

He was quick to reply, “Yeah, we need to take all that Christmas stuff down.”

I set off on my new journey, washing the paint off the Amazon windows.  Snowflakes.  Messages like Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukah!  Happy Kwanza!  Even the Grinch was up there.  I started squirting the cleaner and began doing my best “wax on, wax off.”  Just like Mr. Miagi taught Daniel in The Karate Kid.

Problem: the paint was barely coming off. 

I tried everything from spraying it more to rubbing harder even to picking at it with my nails.  Don’t ever do that.  It is not the best look on me today as I type this.  I look like an oil change grease monkey from Jiffy Lube.  Kinda gross.  I thought about posting a picture of my hand but decided you can take my word for it.

I digress …

Ten minutes gone.  Another 15.  Then 20.  I was maybe halfway done with a job that I anticipated would take ten minutes or less.  That paint was just NOT coming off!  To make matters worse, I began seeing other employees waving goodbye to me, getting VTO (Voluntary Time Off).

My friend Justus appeared next to me. 

“Yeah, I figured I could either watch you do this or join in and help you,” he laughed.

It was nice to get his help.  Now he got to experience the joys of window cleaning.  At least I had a partner to talk to now.  That would make the task more enjoyable. 

Justus’ phone buzzed.

“Sorry, man!  I am out of here.  My VTO just got approved.”

Doh!  That was supposed to sound like Homer Simpson.  If you failed to get the reference, I shame you. 

I began to wonder … should I put in for VTO too?  I mean, you don’t get paid, but you don’t get penalized either.  I could bow out, or I could tough it out.  Something told me not to quit.  I decided to stick with it.  What else would I be doing if I went home?  Those windows needed cleaning!

I commenced.  My shoulder began to ache.  I switched to my left hand.  My left shoulder began to ache.  More employees were waving goodbye to me.  Even my buddy Steve!  Yes, the same Steve from previous blogs.  My frustration boiled. 

I finally got to the last window at the manager’s office.  This one was the ultimate ginormous window.  The Grinch stared at me from the corner with his disapproving frown, and I have to admit that I became that mean old nasty Grinch! 

Why am I the only one doing this?  What is everyone else doing?  Why can’t I get any help?  Why can’t they give me a better spray bottle or another tool to get this crappy paint off?  Be careful what you wish for.

“Clint, you might hate me, but I wanted to give you this,” Raven said, peeking through the doorway.

It was a full bottle of Expo white board cleaner.  The good stuff that teachers use to take off those nasty marker stains that have been there since September.  I thanked Raven and gladly accepted the spray to help wash away the Grinch. 

What a difference!  Before I knew it, the Grinch was no longer frowning at me!  He was just … gone!  I finished my job, but when I saw that I had been working on those windows for a full hour, I allowed that frustration to creep into my crabby attitude. 

The rest of my time was full of doing my normal stuff.  Picking.  Bag resetting.  I worked all the way to the end of my shift, clocking out at 11:50 am.  Never did a hot shower feel so good afterwards!  Most of the stubborn paint was cleansed off, but the residue of my fingernail scraping was still pretty nasty.

It got me thinking …

I wonder if God feels that way about our sin?  If Jesus had a scrub brush, how easily would that sin come out of our hearts?  Am I allowing Jesus to cleanse me?  Or am I trying to clean myself through my own power?  Guess what … the scrubbing works a heck of a lot better when Jesus gets the scrub brush.

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”

As I watched the paint residue creep down the drain, I did a little self-examination.  It felt cleansing to apologize for my poor attitude.  I had finished the job, but my demeanor led my friend to think I was tired.  I was indeed tired, but not in the way he expected. 

I was tired of complaining.  Tired of the negativity.  Tired of comparing my workload to my colleagues.  And certainly tired of feeling sorry for myself.  I had earned my paycheck when others bowed out in favor of not being paid.  It felt good to know I had pushed through!

Most teachers in my area are heading back today.  I wonder what tasks they will be given?  Maybe it is to write up one of those self-evaluations you have to complete every three years to recertify.  It could be data crunching to get ready for assessments.  Or it could be making some sort of a smart goal you know will be forgotten in a matter of weeks.  Busy work.  Work that you’d rather not be doing.

I can already hear your voice screaming, “Just give me time in my classroom!”

My advice is to rise above the temptation to complain.  Make the Lord happy through your hard work.  Glorify Him the way it talks about in our core scripture above.  No work you do for Him is in vain.  Let your attitude be one of gratitude, positivity, and goodness. 

I can guarantee you God will be pleased. 

Challenge: Find a way to take a mundane task and make it fun.  Work your way through it with joy that leaves a pleasant aroma for others to witness.

Bible study: Journal or discuss how the following scripture apply to today’s message.

• “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” (Philippians 2:14)
• “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
• “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

Prayer points: Lift up the following areas to the Lord …

• Praise God for the opportunity to get paid to make a difference in the life of a child!
• Pray that your attitude can reflect the goodness of Jesus Christ to others.
• Pray that your work would glorify the Lord.

Just for fun: It might be fun to play a would you rather game with your colleagues.  You can create your own lists, but I might suggest the following from past experience of being an educator in January.

• Would you rather spend a professional day crunching assessment data or watching a mandatory all-staff video with a narrator that talks like Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler’s Day Off?
• Would you rather shovel twice on a snow day or watch the Chiefs second team lose to the Broncos 38-0?
• Would you rather teach a full week the first week back and have it last forever or teach two days knowing your students came off extra snow days and are sure to be that much more mischievous?
• Would you rather enjoy a Professional Day lunch catered by the best BBQ place in town or enjoy a quiet more intimate lunch with your besties at a local fast-food place?
• Would you rather get drawn in a Professional Day raffle to win a $20 Starbucks gift card or get an unexpected snow day?
• Would you rather teach a class full of kids riding a Christmas candy sugar rush or a class full of kids sleeping, not getting ANYTHING you are teaching, allowing you to realize you will have to repeat the same lesson again next week. 

Man, I could go on with these!  Can you tell I taught for over two decades?

Prayer: Lord, help us all transition well from Christmas break back into the grind of 2^nd Semester.  May our work be pleasing to you!  Amen.