Finding Meaning in the Mundane

English: Autumn fallen leaves of Zelkova serrata 日本語: 枯葉 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday morning, my mom asked to sweep the leaves that fell from a bucket supposedly tumbled over by our cats. I did not respond right away as I'm not exactly a fan of household chores. It took me a while to finally gather the motivation to go outside, get the dustpan, walis tingting (a outdoor broom, in Filipino) and start gathering the leaves and place them back in the bucket.

Related: "The Importance of Believing the Best in Love"

Prior to this, my head was in a 'complaining' state. I was thinking that now it's my vacation week, I'd have some me-time and forget some of my responsibilities for a while. As I was sweeping the leaves amidst the overcast weather, the sound of the leaves scraping on the concrete, I felt a sense of peace. I felt a sense of peace because this chore, no matter how small or insignificant as it may seem, is still something done to bring glory to God. He impressed this verse upon me while sweeping:

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

Whatever I do, I must find meaning. Whether it's simply washing the dishes, brushing my teeth, working 9-5, or even boldly going to the ends of the earth for a mission trip--how big or small it is doesn't count. What counts is to Whom am I doing it for. Most of us spend time in our jobs or professions in a grumbling mindset because we forget to realize that our occupations are a blessing. I am sitting in my cubicle for a purpose, singing children's songs and patiently cuing a child to add the final "t" sound in the word "hat". You are sitting on your desk typing away documents due in the afternoon because God allowed you to be there, to bring glory to Him wherever you are. 

Related: "What's Your Tragedy?"

I guess I just meant to say that I believe we are living borrowed lives, and the One who gave it deserves to be offered sacrifices--our lives. Living our lives as a sacrifice. So big thing or small thing, let's find meaning in the great and mundane.

I recommend this DVD for people who are trying to understand the meaning of life:

Embracing a Life of Meaning DVD: Kathleen Norris on Discovering What Matters
Best-selling author Kathleen Norris provides a unique viewpoint of “what matters most,” including:
Belief Matters: Why does belief matter? To what do we give our hearts? What is the core message of what we believe—creeds or commitment? To what extent is to believe also “to belove”?
The Bible Matters: The Bible is our collective story. How is that story reflected in our daily lives? What is it about the Bible that always seems to address our present moment?
Community Matters: In community, individualism and imperfection meet grace and acceptance. What is our part in the Body of Christ?
Place Matters: In what ways is faith set within the physical space of home, church, land and people?
We Matter: What it means to remain in God’s image and to counter our selfishness by embracing the world and its needs? (Credit: http://www.amazon.com/)

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The Importance of Believing the Best in Love

Credit: http://sxc.hu

1 Corinthians 13 is one of my favorite chapters of the whole Bible. It talks about what love is and what it is not, and it mirrors how God tries to relate to us and how we should relate to others. Out of the whole chapter, one of my favorite verses would be 7 and 8. Here is the AMP (Amplified) version:

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]."

1 Corinthians 13:7-8

When I was younger I did not understand what these verses meant. Until I got older and I came accross different circumstances in my life that appeared to be a testing of that verse. I was faced with a situation where I could either choose from two of these things: believing the best or assuming the worst. I guess I found this verse significant in my life and to the people I love because I have subconsciously thought that people do some things because they do it on purpose to hurt or harm me.

But you know what I realized? I realized that most of the things we are hurting from, especially those which are done by the people we love are not done on purpose. It's not what they did that matters, it's how we respond to what they did. That is why the Bible keeps telling us that love believes the best. If you love someone you will always persevere to believe the best of what he or she did. You will always think that this person did not do such things to purposefully hurt you, and that's where the other aspects of love go in, such as patience, kindness, and avoiding to keep a record of wrongs.

I realized that this way of thinking and this attitude towards others is so vital. It is so vital that it can change many relationships in an instant. We humans are afraid to be vulnerable and we go out of the world in a defensive mode. We always hurt, get angry, resent, show bitterness towards other people because deep in our minds and hearts we always assume that they do such things for the sake of making us feel that way.

But if you go out of your way, avoiding to succumb in your tendencies and try to see people the way God sees them, you will see the people around you in a different light. You will see the good heart in every person, and you will see that maybe, just maybe, you could have saved a lot of time avoiding unneccesary bitterness, heartache and resentment. Maybe you could have chosen to love instead.

This is a constant realization that I always try to preach myself everyday, but God has been patient in reminding me. If this article helped you, don't hesitate to share it to someone you love.

For further reading about 1 Corinthians 13 and what the Bible says about love, I recommend reading these two books:

What the Bible Says about Love Marriage & Sex: The Song of Solomon

With roughly a third of all marriages ending in divorce, there's never been a better time for this refresher course in the true meaning of a successful union. As New York Times bestselling author Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us, it's a biblical truth: Sex and passionate, romantic love are God's ideas!

The Love Chapter: The Meaning of First Corinthians 13 (Paraclete Essentials) 

One of the most important passages in the Scriptures, First Corinthians 13 is often read and rarely followed. Medieval theologian, John Chrysostom, was called the “golden-mouthed” one, for the eloquence of his preaching. His reputation extended from his native East to the Christian West, and he is remembered today as a Church Father for the entire Church. Now available in a popular contemporary English translation for the first time, The Love Chapter makes available these most important reflections of St. John, on a most important portion of the New Testament. 

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