This cultural moment has conditioned us to want tangible rewards. But raising children, loving our spouses, and serving our local church—none of these provide a linear view of progress or accomplishment. Yet God has promised that He is doing His eternal work in and through us (Phil. 2:12–13). The unrecognized spheres in which we serve are perhaps the most important, for here are the front lines of service, of sanctification, and of the work God is doing to raise up generations to His name and glory.

We’ve all had moments of standing at the sink and wondering why we’re washing yet another load of dishes. The spinning of the hamster wheel is almost palpable. Created as eternal souls in physical bodies, we carry within us a tension between the tangible life of clothing and sustenance and the unseen things that meet our deepest needs as humans.

Generations of the church have often fallen off on one side or the other by elevating physical reality or denigrating it. But what if we reframed our vision to see God actually furthering His kingdom through the ordinary stuff of life?

The Mercies of Earth

God has seen fit to tether even the wisest and most intellectual men and women to earthly bodies with the usual requirements of food, air, exercise, and community. Esoteric theories of philosophers and dreamers have often met a timely end on the rocks of reality, demonstrating to all the watching world that the creature is not above his Creator (Rom. 9:20).

But our Father is never cruel. It is His wisdom that has ordained things in this way for the flourishing of His creatures and His children. He uses the sleepless nights of parents, the bills of counselors, and the marriages of pastors to remind us that none of us is above the very discipline we administer, the counsel we give, or the message we preach. We are all called to sit under the Word and to have its truth applied to our own lives.

Having coworkers with whom to share the gospel and church members with whom to build unity awakens us continually to our utter dependence on God’s grace. Something as simple as sweeping food from under the dining room table can reveal our hearts quite quickly: Am I cleaning up this mess out of a desperate desire for a clean house? Out of frustration because no one else has done it (like Martha in Luke 10:38–42)? Or am I doing this out of love for Jesus and a desire to serve Him in this painfully specific way He has given?

Our own skills, achievements, and even callings can veil areas of sin in our hearts, but the mundanity of life often uncovers these quite well. It’s much easier to do work for which we are regularly recognized or uniquely gifted and mistake personal pride for joy in serving Jesus than it is when we are vacuuming the car or addressing the hearts of siblings at war.

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