Lesson at the Kitchen Sink
Have you ever thought about what living with eyes on the glories of heaven might mean in your daily life?
I recently read an article by Billy Graham where he wrote, “I have found in my travels that those who keep Heaven in view remain serene and cheerful in the darkest day. If the glories of Heaven were more real to us, if we lived less for material things and more for things eternal and spiritual, we would be less easily disturbed by this present life.”
While, as believers, we know this is true, most of us (myself included) get caught up in the day to day routines which can overtake our attention. True, we have things that must be done, places we must go, people that need our attention. How do we stay heavenly focused, keeping our eyes on Jesus, amid life?
I was taught a valuable lesson many, many years ago by a college friend that has helped me to keep a heavenly perspective on most days. It has been a long journey, and one I am still learning. We were studying scripture, talking about how God was always with us. She said, “I hated doing dishes. I always hated doing dishes, but it was my job growing up. I decided one day to start using the time I was at the sink to talk to Jesus. So, I said, ‘Jesus, you know I hate doing dishes but if you will join me while I do them, it won’t seem so bad.’”
It became her mantra as she stood at the kitchen sink. She then went on to say, “After a few days I began to look forward to talking to Jesus while I washed and dried the dishes. We had all kinds of conversations over the years; we talked about school, boyfriends, my brother (who annoyed me a lot!), my dad’s joining Jesus in heaven…we talked for days about that because I was angry and sad. But you know what? No matter what we talked about or what I was feeling, there was a presence at that sink that I felt. I couldn’t see Jesus, but he was there. My heart was changed so many times there at the kitchen sink. My love for him grew; I became more grateful and I couldn’t wait for our evening meal to be over, so I could meet Jesus at the sink.”
My friend’s lesson changed my focus. It wasn’t long before I took that ‘kitchen sink’ lesson with me everywhere. I started inviting Jesus to walk with me and enjoyed my conversations with God in the oddest places. I found God gave me nudges to do things differently. That lesson helped me understand God desired to break through the ordinary to make his tangible presence known in my life. The same is true for each of us.
Billy Graham found when people kept heaven in view, their earthly lives had more peace. My friend helped me understand how to focus on God through her kitchen sink lesson. God’s joy and peace can be found anywhere—even in places we may not want to be. Keep looking up! There is joy even at our kitchen sink.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” – Revelation 21:3