Mountain of Dishes

Have you ever been overwhelmed?  Too much to do?  Find yourself procrastinating whatever task looms?

For me, it was a mountain of dirty dishes.  Crusted cottage cheese bowls, placemats smeared with dried oatmeal, a large pot thick with layers of mac-and-cheese residue.  

All waiting for me.

So instead I sat staring at the toys scattered over the living room floor, watching the minutes tick by.  I knew I should get up and deal with the mess while the children were napping.  I kept thinking that those dishes might just disappear if I waited long enough.  

I can dream, right?

Maybe I could even take a nap.  Maybe fairies would come in and tidy up so I could wake up to order and cleanliness…  Oh, and they could vacuum!  And scrub the toilet!  And surely they’ll do the dishes for me!  Wouldn’t that be nice?  

Well, I’m sorry to say that no fairies arrived.  So, reluctantly, I got up and headed to the kitchen.  Every counter, including the stovetop and table, was covered.  Both sinks were full.  You may have heard of a magical thing called a dishwasher.  Perhaps you even have one!  In my house, that (not so) magical thing is… me.  

We do dishes the old-fashioned way, in a soapy sink with a washcloth.  So, I reached my hand into the leftover dishwater from the night before and drained it.  Cold, slimey water full of lettuce bits and noodle remnants disappeared slowly down the drain, leaving a marinara-tinged grease ring around the edges of the stainless steel.  

After a deep breath, I began moving dishes from the sinks out onto the counter to make room to wash.  

A few minutes later, I was scrubbing away. As I stuck my hands in the searing water full of fresh suds, I could feel my tension subsiding.  “I can do this,” I thought, “Just one dish at a time.”  Then I smiled at the thought, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As I stood in my filthy kitchen, washing one dish at a time, I realized that was all I had to do (in fact, all I could do) -- one dish at a time.  I didn’t even have to think about the pots and pans piled on the stove, not until I'd finished the dishes in my sink.  And even then, only one at a time.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.  I am a natural worry-wart, so I’ve clung to this verse many times.  But this time I processed the depth of my ineptitude, my astounding need for God’s grace and energy to combat my worry.  I had never realized that I need to take things one minute at a time.  God’s grace is sufficient for me, and I need Him desperately.  But not just once a day.  I need Him every minute.  I can’t run on my own juice any longer than that -- it all is God.