To Survive or Glorify?

Does life ever pile up on you? It does me. On those days all my energies are focused on survival. Heavenly purposes are nowhere in sight. Tomorrow is a new day with new beginnings. My only goal is to make it there as soon as possible; preferably with few or no casualties.

Today is one of those days. My to-do list is a mile long and the kids are in a mood. I’ve handed out ten spankings and it’s only 9am. An appointment has slipped my mind until the last moment. I shower, dress, pack the diaper bag and get the kids in the car in fifteen minutes flat. Not bad – right? Except now I’m harried and rushed and simply cannot find a moment to regroup. All I can think about is how my socks don’t match. I remember the luxury of make-up. Ahh … those were the days! Back to normal life: There is nothing like lunch with over-tired toddlers and picky eaters. My white T-shirt (my last resort, worn only on laundry day) now has red jello marks all over the shoulder, and my lap smells like urine (not mine). I finally get the kids down for a nap; then, discover they have locked me out of the bathroom. This is my day.

Now, you’re probably expecting me to say something profound about God giving us rest and all the strength we need to survive each day. I will not refute that – He most certainly does! But today a different verse is on my mind: 1 Corinthians 10:31.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (NAS)

We do a lot of singing in our house. We have a song for just about every occasion. We sing the hymn “Stand Up for Jesus” nearly every day when prompting the kids to stand up to get dressed, get out of the bath, get off the floor in a store … We have a good morning song (compliments of VeggieTales). We sing a ton of choruses and kid songs all throughout the day. We even have a clean-up song (thanks to Laurie Berkner) that we sing whenever putting toys away.

The other night, as we were straightening the living room before bed, Isabel took the initiative to start our song. She sang loudly: “Clean up! Clean up for Jesus!” She had combined two of our usuals to make a whole new song.

This is what is on my mind today. She was cleaning up for Jesus. She was thinking (and singing!) of Him as she did her little mundane task of putting away her toys.

God doesn’t want us to simply survive our days here on Earth. He wants us to glorify Him through every moment of our lives. He is longing for us to drive to appointments for Him; to change diapers for Him; to go to work and stare at a computer for 9 hours … all with the purpose of glorifying Him. This life must be survived, there is no doubt. But there is much more to it than just survival.

Let me encourage you today: Clean your house for Jesus. Wash your car for Christ. Be nice to your boss for God. In all that you do, be it at home or elsewhere, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t live today just to survive; live it to glorify.