05
Jun '19
Knocking Down Pins
05
Jun '19
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done . . . (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
The clever lyrics by Sara Groves “Setting Up the Pins” encourages listeners to find joy in the repetitive, routine tasks that sometimes feel as pointless as manually setting up bowling pins over and over again, only to have someone knock them down.
Laundry. Cooking. Mowing the lawn. Life seems full of tasks that, once completed, have to be done again—and again. This isn’t a new struggle but an old frustration, one wrestled with in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. The book opens with the writer complaining about the endless cycles of daily human life as futile (1:2–3), even meaningless, because “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again” (v. 9).
The writer was able to regain a sense of joy and meaning by remembering our ultimate fulfillment comes as we “fear [reverence] God and keep his commandments” (12:13). There’s comfort in knowing that God values even the ordinary, seemingly mundane aspects of life and will reward our faithfulness (v. 14).
What are the “pins” you’re continually setting up? In those times when repetitive tasks begin to feel tiring, may we take a moment to offer each task to God as an offering of love.
How might you do a task differently today knowing God values it? How does knowing this bring meaning to the mundane?
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving value to the ordinary activities of life. Help us to find joy in the tasks before us today. Amen.
What blessed me about this devotion is so often we can find ourselves frustrated when the ordinary activities of life become mundane. I pray today’s devotion uplifts and encourages you to see it all in a different light knowing God values every task you put your hand to. May we find a new sense of joy in our every day repetitive tasks.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Thessalonians 5:11