Seven Efficient Dishwashers

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!”

God tells us that no matter the circumstances we should always rejoice in Him. In difficult situations this is sometimes hard to do. But those are the perfect times for God’s people to band together.

For the third time I opened the dishwasher to check my dishes. For the third time I groaned in disgust as the realization finally hit me that the dishwasher had gone on the blink.

As in all busy large families the dishwasher is a VERY important appliance. This electrical “maid” normally takes care of a mundane but necessary chore, allowing the rest of us to attend to other more pressing business. But as I looked inside again at the still food-encrusted plates, cloudy glasses, and sticky soap dish, I knew that our “maid” had walked out on us.

I was tempted to scream at the frustration of yet another broken necessity, but quickly clamped my hand over my mouth as I remembered the Bible verse Pastor Craig challenged us with on Sunday. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!”

But did God really mean to rejoice over the nuisance of a broken dishwasher? Though He promises to work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose, what good could come of  adding another task to the unending “to do list” when there really was no extra time?

Well, I found my answer and reason to rejoice. Good can come of even the most frustrating situations. For the past few days I have been blessed to see everyone pitch in to help with the extra work load.

Dad has washed most evenings when I wasn’t available. Emily has taken the initiative to put the dishes away when the rest of us have been at work or school. And John-Keith and I stood side-by-side at the sink – he washing and I drying while we had a pleasant and meaningful conversation that we usually don’t have time for.  What a treat!

Somehow in the busyness of modern life we have lost the art of old-fashioned dish washing and the comradeship and deep conversation that goes along with it. Something forgotten was found again all because the dishwasher broke down.

I know in this fast-paced world we can’t easily go on like this forever.  Very soon we will need to replace this all important appliance. But for now I have a lot to rejoice in. During this inconvenient time, character is being built as everyone bands together by pitching in. And I made a cool discovery – instead of only one broken-down dishwasher I actually have seven efficient ones! Thanks everyone!