Walmart and Dishes

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31

I don’t like doing dishes. In fact, I rarely wash dishes. Thankfully, I have a wife who does the dishes, and it seems as though she doesn’t mind. I also despise going to Walmart. I avoid it as much as I can. However, there are times when I find myself there. Just like on occasion, I wash dishes.

There are many things in life that we really don’t like doing, but sometimes we just have to do them. For you, it may be laundry or yard work. But what about things like having a hard conversation with someone again? It could be forgiving someone and seeking reconciliation with someone. Maybe it could be serving others in a way that you may be uncomfortable with. Or it could be sacrificing just a little bit of your time, talents, or treasures for the benefit of others. The list could go on, right?
 
The Apostle Paul gives some great perspective on doing stuff at the end of 1 Corinthians 10. He challenges us to do things with the perspective of considering others before ourselves. In vs. 24, he says, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor”. Now, imagine this for a moment, when all of God’s people really took this to heart. If fellow believers were looking out for your best interests before their own and you did the same for them, how would that change our community and culture? I think it would radically change things.

It sounds great, but how do we do it? Paul continues in vs. 31 where he says in all that we do, do it for God’s glory. What this means is we have the ambition in everything to love God and love our neighbor. This means doing dishes even when we don’t like it, so that my wife doesn’t have to. It means going to Walmart, not to try and enjoy Walmart, but to spend a little time with my wife. Maybe it is forgiving the person who wronged me in hopes that a relationship would be restored, and bitterness does not continue to spread. Maybe it means serving and giving to experience the joy in others benefiting from your sacrifice.
 
Whenever I don’t feel like doing stuff, I am reminded that Jesus did some really hard stuff for me. He did some really big things for me that I don’t deserve, and He did it for my good and the glory of His name. And He did it, so we too will do things for the glory of His name and the good of His people. Now I gotta go do dishes before we go to Walmart.