Lord. Have. Mercy.
Inhale annnnd exhale. Dirty dishes on every counter. Spilled tea on un-swept floors. A battlefield of empty food containers lifeless atop my formerly peace-loving island.
Again.
A paradoxical dance of familiar and foreign. Increasingly familiar in this house full of menfolk living on Teen-Time, but foreign to their mother living on ‘Aint-Nobody-Got-Time-For-This-Time. Many a night finds these young men of mine, hanging out downstairs as the moon rises high in the sky. It’s rumored that the Mandatory-Late-Nights clause in the unspoken Teen Pact is one that no teen dares admit to violating. I’ve learned to choose my battles, and this is not one that I’ve chosen. Yet.
As my this-morning unceremoniously collides with their last-night, I strongly consider shuffling my slippers back upstairs and playing the Monday card. You know…the one that grants fairylike permission to put your fingers in your ears and sing “lalala.” The one that would allow me a crumb of temporary peace about ignoring the unglorified mess that met my day.
Never mind that it’s Thursday.
What is Monday doing traipsing around in my Thursday anyway? How rude.
Before I can react, Sunday arrives, all Spirit-clothed and elegant, and interrupts Monday interrupting my Thursday.
Wisdom graces her as I’m reminded that these dishes, these floors, these countless messes that I clean, and re-clean—they are worthy sacrifices. Acts of worship shrouded in the menial and mundane.
Conflicted, my inner Ms. Self-Righteous tugs at my mind’s hemline…hey, psst, let’s not overlook the elephant in the room – these kids know better! Yes, noted…more accountability training needed. Thankfully, this day, my heart leans in to a shift in perspective, remembering that it is slave to the Spirit, not the flesh.
And so I sit in the middle of an honest-to-goodness Thursday, heart full of unexpected gratitude for these gifts of chaos. Gifts that disguise themselves as cluttered counters and un-swept floors.
A humble kitchen turned holy ground, as the Lord met me there this recent morning. You see, I was reading along in Malachi, minding my own business, when—kabam!—a stone crashed through the roof of my shiny glass house. As the ever-unfolding saga of Israel continued, God warned His people that they’d shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on His altar.
And there it was—my all Monday’d-up Thursday—a humbling modern-day equivalent of their reply: “…how have we defiled the sacrifices?” (1:7)
Humankind has an age-old penchant for ignorance. They didn’t recognize their disgrace in 400 BC—and neither do I sometimes in 2015. God replies: “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered!” (1:7,10 NLT)
Counters and floors, laundry and bills—how many times have I disrespected the altar, defiling the sacrifice with an undignified heart? How often do I get my disgruntled, entitled self all up in the mix and effectively shut the Temple doors?
I’m so prone to dwelling on the ever-pressing immediate that, all too often, I discount the offering.
And isn’t it just so easy to miss the altar of the Lord for the altar of the moment?
Anybody else?
When a messy Thursday morning unexpectedly finds itself rubbing elbows with grace, it has a way of highlighting how wildly God honors a servant heart. He sees the mundane tasks of ordinary Thursdays and weary Mondays and all the days in between—and beholds them as sacrifices worthy.
How I want to swing wide those Temple doors and run to the altar with arms full. Full of the quiet, the unnoticed, the uncharmed worthy sacrifices of ordinary days.
Sweet sister, the Lord sees your humble acts of worship, all wrapped up in the crumpled makeshift giftwrap and raveled ribbon of a living sacrifice, and—He calls it holy.
May we seek His face—the Servant of servants—trading our anxious hearts for the grace and guidance to serve from a spirit of worship, not of burden.
Locking arms, let’s storm the Temple doors, hearts and hands overflowing with sacrifices of thanksgiving to the One who called us into the beauty of the mundane.
Are you in? 
~ Happily linking up this week with: Mondays @ Soul Survival, Intentional Tuesday, #RaRa Linkup, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory, Titus 2sday, Coffee for Your Heart, Women with Intention Wednesdays, Thought Provoking Thursday , beloved brews , #DanceWithJesus, Faith Filled Friday , The Weekend Brew and Words with Winter ~ Please drop in and bless these lovely writers sometime, I’m sure you’ll leave encouraged. ~
Brenda, the beginning of your post reminded me of a lesson I learned when one became two in marriage. “Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” (Proverbs 14:4).
As we clean our homes as acts of worship, let us remember much increase comes from those who leave these messes: increase of blessings, joy, comfort, and so much more.
Sweet blessings to you, my friend. : )
Crystal Storms recently posted…Love Languages – Words of Affirmation
Much increase indeed ~ lovely thoughts, Crystal. ((Hug))
Sweet blessings back at ya. <3
Brenda, thank you for sharing your heart at #IntentionalTuesday on Intentionally Pursuing. : )
Crystal Storms recently posted…Intentional Tuesday Linkup {Week 27}
I LOVED this post!! And it came after I had just spent a half hour grumbling because I have had quite the day of things not going the way I had hoped where I didn’t empty the dishwasher, re-load it and make my bed until now, almost dinnertime!
Your insights from Malachi really convicted me and encouraged me that ALL I do, I must do with a Spirit of sacrificial giving to the Lord.
Thanks for sharing!
(((Karen))) Don’t we all have days like that sometimes?! ((hug)) Praise God there’s grace enough for the hard days.
Thank you for stopping by and blessing me with your thoughts this afternoon. ~ <3 ~
Thank you for this, Brenda! I had a ‘slight’ breakdown the other day because of the condition of my kitchen:) You couldn’t see a single counter top! Of course, I paused to give it a good cleaning, but its back that way again – and the cycle repeats. Your words here are SUCH an encouragement to me! I need to remember these times as acts of worship. God is good. He is worth it. And so are my sweet mess-makers:) Blessings today!
Kristine, those counters can sure go from clean to messy again in a split second can’t they?! I love how you put it: “God is good. He is worth it. And so are my sweet mess-makers.” Amen. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and sharing today.
((Hug)) <3
Brenda, it is such a joy to read your well-written words. Girl, you pull us right into the scene, and then we sit there and realize, this is me. It goes deep, the internalizing, and we walk away having sat in the presence of God. Loved this post. Loved these too —> “A humble kitchen turned holy ground” and “And isn’t it just so easy to miss the altar of the Lord for the altar of the moment?” Visiting today via #TestimonyTuesday.
Kristi recently posted…2 Steps to Remember in the Face of Rejection
Awe, thank you, Kristi, for sharing such sweet encouragement with me today. What a blessing you are. ((HUG)) <3
Brenda,
Yes: “And isn’t it just so easy to miss the altar of the Lord for the altar of the moment?” I can agree….I love how good God is to meet us where we’re at…..with love and truth 🙂 Glad we “met”
Dolly@Soulstops recently posted…On asking for joy?
Hey Dolly, so glad to meet you as well. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your heart today.
((Hug)) <3
Oh Brenda, I am so blessed by my visit here today. I love your style of writing and how you draw the reader right into your world. I just pulled up a chair and am nodding, “yes, Yes!” There is so much beauty in that everyday mundane and it’s easy to overlook it and instead see the pile of mess. (I do it often) But nothing is insignificant in God’s kingdom. So, so thankful for this truth. Thank you! Keep writing, friend.
Abby, what a sweet thing to say. Bless you! 🙂
I love where you say: “Nothing is insignificant in God’s kingdom.” Amen to that. Not even a messy kitchen. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and encouraging my today.
((Hug)) <3
Brenda, I love this. You spoke the heart of moms everywhere. Loving their families as an act of worship. Glorifying God by loving well. I felt myself breathing slowly as I took in each word. God’s blessings to you!
Deb Wolf recently posted…What is Your Story? I Want to Know
Deb, thank you for dropping by and reading. 🙂
Heaven knows, I’m preaching straight to myself. Some days I need that gentle reminder from the Lord that this thing that feels so mundane to us is of much worth to Him. Thank you for sharing. 🙂 <3 ((Hug))
Oh how I remember those days. Days I would cry at the mess left by 5 teenagers. They are gone now and I wish I could tell you that there will come a day when you will miss them….but I have never missed that mess. I do miss the teenagers though. And, your kitchen island looks so pretty with all the yellow and blue.
a spirit of simplicity recently posted…15 july
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. 🙂 I know that I’ll sure miss them and their chaos one day, and that day is fast approaching. It’s been my great privilege to be their mother…messes and all. 🙂 I’m sure you have lots of wisdom under your belt after raising five teens. 🙂 Thanks for visiting today. <3
lOVE this! Oh goodness, how I have experienced this self-entitlementy way of complaining about inconveniences and repetitions mundane things. Blessings!
Glad I’m in good company, Ginger. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
((Hug))
Brenda, your words are so fitting for me today. I can get so single-minded about the things going on around me – the mess, the distractions, the interruptions. They really are all wrapped in God’s grace and He has purpose and place in the everyday. Thank you for that reminder – on this summer day when I can give myself permission to let the small stuff go.
I love how you put that, Tiffany, “wrapped in God’s grace.” I love the poetic’ness of that word-picture. Thank you for understanding my heart. 🙂 ((Hug))
“They are worthy sacrifices. Acts of worship shrouded in the menial and mundane.” Yes. Been there, done that. It is always encouraging to be reminded that those things DO matter. Anything we do with love makes a difference to someone, even if no one but ourselves and God. That’s enough!
Lisa notes recently posted…Don’t look directly at the sun
Amen, Lisa. 🙂 More than enough. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and sharing this morning. ((hug))
Brenda, This is so beautiful and it really spoke to me-as I have had a rough day underneath the piles and to do lists, and seems I can’t get much done with interruptions in many ways. Thank you for reminding me of what God sees as holy and reminding me that worship is in the mundane and the do it again and again kind of stuff. I needed to read this today! So thankful to have met you and blessed by your post! with love
Oh Susie, so blessed by your kind words today.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing. So glad to have met you.
<3 ((Hug))
Brenda … How have I not found you before? I am so blessed to read your words. LOVE your style and you are so crafty at slipping in hard truth right between my smiles and laughs. This is absolutely fantastic. Thank you for visiting me first so I could know you are out there. I’m taking this one with me today if you don’t mind:
And isn’t it just so easy to miss the altar of the Lord for the altar of the moment?
Awe, Christi, thank you for your sweet words this morning. 🙂
And, thank you for blessing me with your perspective of a mom who’s a few steps farther down the road with the article on your site this morning. What a comfort those words are to moms who still have a full nest. ((Hug)) Blessings! <3
Lovely post, Brenda! Well written. The human heart hasn’t changed much since 400 BC, has it?
Sadly not, Constance. Praise God for a savior who understands our humanness. Thanks for stopping in and reading, Constance. 🙂 ((hug))
Brenda, you had me laughing and crying here. What a lovely post we can all relate to. I have teens too. I love the quote about missing the Altar of God for the Altar of the Moment.
Last spring I wrote a post called “Finding Glory in your Mundane” that was related to this. I never share post links, but this has some wonderful Charles Spurgeon quotes related to your kitchen being the altar. Don’t even read the post, just skim to the italic quotes if you want to see them. http://faithspillingover.com/2015/01/27/finding-glory-in-your-mundane/
Are you on Twitter or Facebook? I can’t find your follow buttons.
Betsy de Cruz recently posted…10 Wonderful Reasons You Can Celebrate Today.
Betsy, thanks for sharing the link, I”ll take a look at that. 🙂
I’m not the best with technology, so I have yet to get a twitter or facebook account for the blog. I have a personal facebook account though. I’ll send you a request next time I log in. 🙂 I’ve been feeling like I should probably do those, but my non-tech brain feels a little overwhelmed by it. Maybe I can pick your brain some? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your encouragement this morning. ((Hug)) <3
I found myself nodding my head and saying quiet amens with you this morning… I so.get. this. 🙂 Love it!
We have to pick our grace battles, or do they pick us?
That is what I am learning in this teen-infested museum of still-cluttered-cheerio-trails (now cereal bowls in my living room rather than crunchy toddler unswept floors) and half-filled glasses, shoes fluttered around the free space and LaUnDry piles in weird places!!!
But I realize, He opened my heart, kabam!, I am so thankful they are here and not out where I can’t see them. I am so grateful they are in my mess talking to me and I can lead them to grace in the battle moment.
I forget this when I am weary,friend; I forget. Yet, reading your words makes me remember and offer thanks. I am off to read Malachi today.
Blessings!
Dawn
Dawn recently posted…Reconciled Echoes of Grace
Amen, Dawn…so thankful they are here…messes and all. Perspective is a comforting thing, isn’t it? 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and sharing this morning. Always good to know we’re not in the trenches alone. 🙂 <3 ((Hug))
Loved the reminder that in ordinary days we can praise God and rejoice in His blessings. My mind has been on the children of Israel in the wilderness and how they grumbled but God was trying to do a much bigger work in their lives. Lord let we be thankful for the manna that shows up to feed me and not long after the leeks and garlic. Blessings. Visiting from The Weekend Brew.
Rebecca recently posted…Why Not Try This? – DIY Home Remedies !!!
Great point, Rebecca, thanks for sharing. I’ve been thinking about manna lately myself, but from a little bit different of an angle. I’ve been wanting to make sure that I recognize it, and am not too quickly satisfied with a little, and leave some of it out to go bad. To use everything that He places in my life that day, leaving nothing to waste. Thanks for stopping by and sharing today. Loved your insights. ~ blessings ~
Thank you so much, Brenda, for sharing this eloquently written truth with us!
Our ordinary days can be seen as invaluable and mundane when we choose to see them that way, but thank you for the reminder that God sees something entirely different when we choose to serve Him and others with His Servant hands.
LOVE this post!
Blessings to you and yours. xo
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup recently posted…Feeling Weak, Writing Strong
Love how you word that…”His” servant hands. 🙂
Thank you for stopping in and sharing your kind words with me this evening, Heather. ~ sweet blessings ~ (((Hug))) <3
wow! We can definitely all relate here! Thanks for this reminder! So thankful for forgiveness and grace!
Caroline @ In Due Time recently posted…525,600 Prayers
Me too, Caroline…me too… 🙂
(((Hug))) <3
I want so much to be better at putting time aside for the Lord so my busyness doesn’t get in the way. This post was a reminder that my prayers shouldn’t be an after thought but intentional. Thanks so much!
Natalie V recently posted…The Day My Life Changed – Part Two
I hear ya, Natalie. Busyness can be such an idol sometimes without us ever realizing it. Thanks for stopping in and sharing tonight. 🙂 ((Hug))