Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, Colossians 3:23
My boys will often play a DVD of German flashcards in the vehicle while we run errands. The hubby is constantly saying to give the remote control back to us before getting out so that it doesn’t fall out of the car. They tend to put it in the cup holder on the door where it isn’t very secure; there’s a concern that the slightest bump could cause it to drop to the ground when they’re getting out.
I was walking past the vehicle last week when something caught my eye. There was a black rectangle in the snow. Sure enough, it was the remote. In the snow. In the cold. All night long. I picked it up, took it inside, pulled out the batteries, dried it out, and let it sit. Hoping it wasn’t ruined. Hoping it was a temporary setback. Hoping it would warm-up!
It made me think of how our emotions can be pretty unstable just like that remote control. We let something that gave us such joy at one time become mundane. We rely on those unreliable emotions to determine if there is still joy in the task we’re doing. We become like the remote control wobbling around in the cup holder.
Let’s take a look at getting our first home. What joy we had to sweep our own floors, possibly with our brand new sweeper! Look how nice our house looked. Did you see what that sweeper can do? Let’s not forget about the first time we could do the laundry in our very own homes! How exciting! What about that new feather duster we got? Did you see what it can pick-up?
Ok, now think about those same tasks a year later, a month later, come on…really?…a week later! What happened to the enthusiasm? Not only has the joy waned, the complaining starts. It sounds to me like the joy wasn’t solidly in place, just like the remote control. Let’s look back…what happened to the remote control? It got left out in the cold. That happens to our enthusiasm too.
It shouldn’t though. Our feelings are pretty unreliable to begin with, plus, if you are relying on someone else’s, that’s even worse. Don’t let someone throw cold water on those thoughts, excitement, and enthusiasm, and don’t do it to yourself! Don’t let something that was once approached with enthusiasm grow cold.
The character trait for today is Enthusiasm-expressing joy in each task as I give it my best effort (definition from characterfirst.com).
Today, approach each task with enthusiasm as if working for the Lord. Would you really grumble and complain if you could actually see the Lord sitting on your couch watching you? Now, you might be saying, “Well, I can’t just go around faking my feelings.” I’m not asking you to, but you can change your feelings.
Start being thankful. It’s amazing how unstable becomes stable when we have gratitude in us! “Thank you for a roof over my head, thank you Lord for having carpet I get to sweep, thank you for a house of my own, thank you for this washing machine, thank you that I don’t have to hand wash them, thank you that I have furniture to dust…”
Terri Sevelle Foy said that to complain is to remain. The opposite of complaining is gratitude. Sounds like if you want to progress, you’ll become thankful pretty quickly! If you start showing gratitude, the enthusiasm will come. Just do it! You’ll see. The remote just needed to be warmed-up too.
