Cleaning Up Other's Messes

I went outside this morning and found trash all over the church parking lot. Evidently someone enjoyed Habit Burger in the parking lot last night and didn't know where to put their trash.

This kind of stuff used to drive me nuts. Perhaps "used to" is optimistic. But at least today, it didn't bother me. Instead I found a little joy in the privilege of cleaning up someone else's mess.

This hasn't always been the case. But recently God showed me that I need to stop feeling put upon when I have to clean up after others. I can instead feel privileged. Privileged that I have the time. Privileged that I have the ability. Privileged that I have the resources.

If I can spend a few minutes cleaning up for someone else who is unable or unwilling and I can make their life a little bit better, that is ministry.

Whether I'm helping clean up a messy relationship, an unbalanced checkbook, an unkept house, some confusion about God, or my child's disastrous room, it is a privilege. My hope and prayer today is that I am able to continue to find joy in the process of cleaning.