Let’s be honest. Chores are rarely fun. Oh, you may find an occasional person who enjoys vacuuming or doing laundry, but I have yet to meet someone who claims to absolutely love cleaning dirty toilets! Yet, as we say in our house, “Sometimes you just have to clean the toilets.”
There are times in life when God asks His people to serve Him in ways that match their gifts, talents and passions. You can see the joy on their faces as they give their all to serve God. But there are other times God asks His people to serve Him in ways that are difficult, unpleasant or in doing things that would be the very last on our list of things we enjoy doing. The Christians with truly servant hearts have as much joy on their faces doing those hard things as they do when they are doing the things they love to serve God.
How can they do that? I believe it’s because they have learned the value for their own spiritual health and growth in having a cheerful heart when God asks them to serve Him in ways that make them want to whine and complain. They have learned to obey the scripture about doing everything without complaining as if working for God. (Philippians 2:14-16) They are truly lights, pointing people to God in this lost and fallen world.
So back to those every day household chores you have. Many parents have stopped asking their kids to help because they are “too busy”. Or instead of expecting them to help merely because they are part of the family, they pay them ridiculous amounts of money to help with chores. Can you see how this can set up poor attitudes and work ethics when it comes time to serve God? It’s why many denominations have to pay nursery workers and Bible class teachers on Sunday morning or have cut out these programs entirely. They are faced with a generation that is unwilling to give their time and energy to serve God.
Want the Church to grow and become stronger? Want the world to be a truly better, more godly place? Give your kids chores. Insist on a cheerful attitude while doing them – or at the very least, no grumbling and complaining. Find ways for them to start serving God as soon as they can walk. Make “Sometimes we just have to clean the toilets” a family rallying cry to cheerfully serve each other and God.
