And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came,
according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.
Families in our church congregation take monthly turns cleaning the church building. Gage was one and two years old while we were building the new building, and he sat strapped in the stroller many a day while we painted. He had to stay strapped in, because my niece had once found him standing on the top of the step ladder in the unfinished restroom, by himself, very proud of his accomplishment. Much like a mountain climber having reached the precipice.
So, when we take our turn cleaning, it feels as comfortable as home. It's a place where we gather to worship and be with God as a unit, and like all church houses, it is a restful place.
It is also cold inside during the winter months because we keep the heat set low until the weekends. Gage and I ran through swirling snow in the parking lot to the door and dove inside the building.
The extreme quietness was broken by a chattering voice who announced he wanted to vacuum the carpet. He dragged the vacuum out and hauled it into the sanctuary. He unwrapped the cord and found an outlet. And he set to work. While I swept and cleaned restrooms and Sunday School rooms, he vacuumed. While I took out trash, he vacuumed. While I restocked supplies, he vacuumed. When I was finished, he was still battling that vacuum cleaner.
It is also cold inside during the winter months because we keep the heat set low until the weekends. Gage and I ran through swirling snow in the parking lot to the door and dove inside the building.
The extreme quietness was broken by a chattering voice who announced he wanted to vacuum the carpet. He dragged the vacuum out and hauled it into the sanctuary. He unwrapped the cord and found an outlet. And he set to work. While I swept and cleaned restrooms and Sunday School rooms, he vacuumed. While I took out trash, he vacuumed. While I restocked supplies, he vacuumed. When I was finished, he was still battling that vacuum cleaner.
In and out of pews. Around the piano. Along the edge of the wall. Excited to find a few dead ladybugs. Finally, he stopped and looked at me, his eyes sparkling. "All clean, mom!"
Yes son, you did a great job. He missed all the corners. There was still some lint here and there, along with a tiny scraps of paper. However, for an eight year old, he did a wonderful job.
Yes son, you did a great job. He missed all the corners. There was still some lint here and there, along with a tiny scraps of paper. However, for an eight year old, he did a wonderful job.
We gathered up our cleaning supplies and turned out the lights. Gage dragged the vacuum cleaner back to storage and happily announced that he had done his part. I didn't redo his job, even though in my eyes it wasn't perfectly clean. I had a feeling the not-so-perfect work was perfect in God's eyes and that was enough.
One day, Gage will have grown enough and be strong enough to clean the carpet to an adult's specification. Until then, he had provided all the service he was able to accomplish to our Heavenly Father. And I could feel His smile.
No comments:
Post a Comment