THE LESSON AT THE KITCHEN SINK

Heaven on earth, JOY and peace-God's tangible presence. Have you ever thought about what living with eyes on the glories of heaven might mean in your daily life?

I recently read an article by Billy Graham where he wrote, “I have found in my travels that those who keep Heaven in view remain serene and cheerful in the darkest day. If the glories of Heaven were more real to us, if we lived less for material things and more for things eternal and spiritual, we would be less easily disturbed by this present life.”

While, as believers, we know this is true, most of us (myself included) get caught up in the day to day routines which can overtake our attention. True, we have things that must be done, places we must go, people that need our attention. How do we stay heavenly focused, keeping our eyes on Jesus, amid life?

Many, many years ago, as a college friend and I were studying scripture, talking about God's absolute presence with us, she shared a lesson with me that she had learned at her kitchen sink. Over the years that lesson has helped me tremendously; it has helped me focus more times than I can remember.

She revealed her lesson saying, “I hated doing dishes. I always hated doing dishes, but it was my job growing up. I decided one day to start using the time I was at the sink to talk to Jesus. So, I said, ‘Jesus, you know I hate doing dishes but if you will join me while I do them, it won’t seem so bad.’” It became her opening mantra each time she stood at the kitchen sink

She went on to say, “After a few days I began to look forward to talking to Jesus while I washed and dried the dishes. We had all kinds of conversations over the years; we talked about school, boyfriends, my brother (who annoyed me a lot!), my dad’s joining Jesus in heaven…we talked for days about that because I was angry and sad. But you know what? No matter what we talked about or what I was feeling, there was a presence at that sink that I felt. I couldn’t see Jesus, but he was there. My heart was changed so many times there at the kitchen sink. My love for him grew; I became more grateful and I couldn’t wait for our evening meal to be over, so I could meet Jesus at the sink.”

My friend taught me a great lesson that day. It changed my focus. It wasn’t long before I took that ‘kitchen sink’ lesson with me everywhere. I started inviting Jesus to walk with me and enjoyed my conversations with God in the oddest places. I found God gave me nudges to do things differently. That lesson helped me understand God desired to break through the ordinary to make his tangible presence known in each of our lives.

Billy Graham found when people kept heaven in view, their earthly lives had more peace. My friend helped my understanding about how to focus on God through her kitchen sink lesson. May God’s tangible presence fill your days as you focus heavenward with your feet planted firmly in the footsteps of Jesus.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” - Revelation 21:3