WAX ON, WAX OFF

Genesis 39:20-22
20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, . . . 21 the Lord was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.

41:39-4139 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 40 ". . . You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. . . . 41 I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."

If you like to root for the underdog, you gotta love the movie The Karate Kid. It's about a teenager named Daniel who gets in trouble with the local bullies. He turns to an elderly Japanese neighbor, Mr. Miyagi, to teach him karate. But instead of learning how to beat down the baddies, Daniel spends his time doing chores for Mr. Miyagi: sanding floors, waxing cars, painting fences.

Soon Daniel gets fed up. He confronts Mr. Miyagi and finally gets the karate lesson he wants. You can see the realization dawn on Daniel's face as Mr. Miyagi shows him that the simple movements of "wax on, wax off," "paint the fence," and "sand the floor" can block punches and kicks. The whole time Daniel was doing those seemingly mindless chores, he was actually learning valuable lessons.

Sometimes that's the way it is for us too. We go through our routine--day after day--and feel as if nothing is happening. We're not getting anywhere. We're in a rut. Then one day it dawns on us that God has been teaching us all along.

Think about Joseph. While he was stuck in prison, the warden put him in charge of all the inmates. It's likely that the skills Joseph learned there helped him manage the whole land of Egypt years later (Genesis 41:39-43).
What about Moses? He spent 40 years as a shepherd. I imagine that could get a little mind-numbing at times. Little did he know that herding those sheep was preparing him for the enormous task of herding the Israelites through the desert (Acts 7:30,36).

What is your life like? Boring? Routine? Do you ever wonder what it's all for? Keep going! No matter what your task, put your heart in it. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).

God is teaching you something. Are you willing to learn? --Tracy Carbaugh

DESTINATION POINTS

* What would I like to change about my life?
* What could God be wanting to teach me?

LINKS
Holy Tension

bottom line: Be teachable--not unreachable.

soul journey