Photo by Michael Fuller.
This summer consisted of 37 workers, 7 supervisors, 1 Amy Buck, and 1 Joseph Duncan. It was so ordinary and so real.
You may judge, but I learned more over this summer than I did doing “extraordinary” things. I did not work at a camp. I did not go to a different country. I did not even go home.
I stayed here, and I cleaned toilets. It was not glamorous. Toilets and urinals exploded. But it.was.great.
You know what I learned: our hearts were overflowing with something a lot worse than the contents of a toilet.
Our hearts overflowed with sin; sin so overwhelmingly potent and deadly that it nailed our Savior to the cross. Do you know the power of Triad? Well, if you don’t, here’s an update for you: Triad covers every surface Covenant College calls its own, from President Halvorson’s desk to the toilets I cleaned every morning in Ashe gym.
Why? Because Triad kills germs and powerfully cleans things. But you know what, Triad cannot clean our hearts, no matter how hard we may try. You know the one thing that can clean our hearts? Big Orange Clean, maybe?
No, not Big Orange Clean, and not Exit either, and not even Fresh N’ Brite. No, none of those will work, no matter how clean they make the toilet, and no matter how well they can wipe away scuff marks.
The only thing that can wash us clean is the blood of Christ, the Lamb who was slain. And you know what? He broke his body, and used it as a rag, covered in his blood and wiped us clean. Just one drop makes us whole.
So this is my encouragement to Facilities workers: thank you for your ordinary work. Even when your hair gets in the way and you get frustrated, you are living out the gospel.
God calls us to live for him. This is wherever we are. And it is so ordinary, even though it is so extraordinary. God has called us to live out his gospel, and what a gospel! What a Savior!
I am thankful for a God who says that whatever we do is important. Our God knows us all by name, and he knows our jobs by name too. He is bigger than us.
I want to close with one last image: Christ on his knees. A rag in his hands, water in a bucket. Washing the dirty, nasty feet of the disciples. Who would do such a job? Our Savior. It was not too lowly for him, and it was not unimportant either.
You may have huge plans for your future. I have huge ones for mine. But remember: each little thing is important. The ordinary is important, too. We are called to run this race with perseverance, to make food for the hungry, and to bring water to the thirsty. And like Christ we are called to clean. He has called us to do such ordinary yet such real, tangible things.
Never forget this. Wherever you are. Whatever your job. It is real, and it is good. And the people who you work with and for are people Christ has made in his image, people with purpose. And even if you don’t ever work in Facilities, please appreciate the people who do.
They clean up after you, and they are awesome people, too, people who might would love to talk to you.