a lesson from brother lawrence

Nothing is too mundane or ordinary for Christ’s disciples to do in the name of their Lord Jesus, The Servant.

A monk named Brother Lawrence learned this when he was given the career-long responsibility of cooking and washing dishes for his monastery. He understood that even marginal tasks could be done “in Jesus’ name”. So he “practiced the presence of God”—that is, he worshipped God by loving God--while peeling potatoes—for almost his entire ministerial career. And while he peeled potatoes in the kitchen each day (day after day after day), the other (more “privileged”) monks spent their time doing more “prestigious” things, like teaching and singing and copying the Scriptures by hand.

The true test of spiritual leadership lies not in whether you can preach and teach in Jesus’ name; it lies not in whether you can perform in a worship band in Jesus’ name; it lies precisely in whether or not you can clean toilets in Jesus’ name.

Let us not kid ourselves: If we cannot learn to sweep a floor in Jesus’ name, we cannot learn to preach or teach in Jesus’ name—for, if we cannot learn to do small things in Jesus’ name, how shall we ever hope to do great things in Jesus’ name?