THE PULITZER OF PORCELAIN
I've had a lot of weird and wonderful requests made of me in my thirty-something-years, but one of the best came my way a few months ago! Let me see if I can put it into context for you. If being asked to sing Handel's Messiah underwater rates a ten, on my wacko scale, this request was definitely a solid seven.
One of the most popular features at "Graceland" is the "Heavenly Top Ten." It's a common occurrence to get requests to use the lists in Church newsletters and so on. But the young man that requested permission to copy my lists this time around, had a use for them that was a little more imaginative, to say the least! Seems that he thought it would be a good idea to print them and post them in the men's washroom in front of the urinals so that the men would have something to do while they were otherwise occupied. I have to admit that I laughed for quite some time after reading that email! In fact, my emotions and imagination ran the gamut of human experience as I contemplated my reply to this earnest young man.
At first I was flattered that my admirer was interested in enshrining my lists in such a splendiferous porcelain palace, but then my pride became a little "flushed". I mean did I REALLY want my words to be in such a place? And did I REALLY want people to read my list while there were . . . well, you get the idea. The honor conferred on me with such a request certainly wasn't akin to winning the Pulitzer — or was it?
But, then again, this young man was 18 years old; working the summer as the janitor for his church. Could I fault him for wanting to go beyond the realm of Spic and Span? He wanted to do more than was asked of him. He wanted not only to do his job, but also to minster and encourage the congregation. How could I possible blame him for going the extra mile?
Ok, so now you're wondering, what did Grant do? Did he say yeah, or nah? What else could I do? I thanked the brother for his interest and commended him for his imagination. Then, I sent him off with my blessing. Ok, so what's the point?
First, I learned that God can use what we give Him in wild and wonderful ways that we would never even dream of, or even consider. Often we wonder if what we're doing for the Lord will really have an impact. As I preacher I've had this happen over and over. I think I have a sermon to deliver that will call down Heaven and have Spurgeon and Moody doing the high five, but I walk away with less than the anticipated response. Then there are times when I think the only thing I have to share is the fact that I have nothing to share and invariably someone will come up to me and say, "Wow, God really spoke to me today!" Sometimes, what a person gets out of my sermon has nothing much to do with the intended message, and everything to do with what the Lord wanted to slip in between the lines. Bottom line is this: aren't you glad that God is in control and He can take our best, even our mediocre efforts and empower them to go further and spread wider than we had ever hoped?
Second, we need to realize that no matter what we do in this life, as followers of Christ, we have a sacred calling to go beyond what's expected and serve everyone as if we're serving Christ himself. You may be a housewife, a doctor, an accountant, a ditch digger, or anything in between, it doesn't matter-- God wants you to give your best and then some. If you're getting paid to clean a washroom, be the best washroom cleaner you can be and go beyond what's expected to reach for that which is excellent. Such an attitude is an act of worship to our Lord and a testimony to the world. The young man who wrote me not only cleaned the washroom, he also considered the comfort, and encouragement of the people who would be influenced by his work. Impressive, isn't it? When was the last time you did something for your boss, your co-worker, your client that said "I care" instead of "I'm just doing my job and nothing more"? When was the last time you prayed for these people and were concerned about their spiritual well-being?
Praise God that He's able to use my meager offerings in so many wonderful and diverse ways. Praise God for people like my janitor friend who understood that living for Christ is always about caring, sharing and encouraging, regardless of our occupation, or situation.
Prayer
Dear Lord. You are truly a God of miracles because you can take what we offer you and turn it into something powerful and pure. You can take our tired efforts, and best shots and impact our world with your truth and love! Lord, thank you also for showing us the importance of caring. Thank you for giving us Jesus as a model of humble service. Help us imitate Him as we live and work. Help us see that everything we do involves more than working nine to five and earning money to pay the bills. Help us understand that even cleaning washrooms can be a place of service, an opportunity to minister, an act of worship, if we do it with a Christ-like attitude! Amen!
