I’ve been reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers for most of my life. I’ve never started it in January and read it every.single.day through to December 31st. Until this year. My hubby got me the devotional version for Christmas this past year and I have been really good about reading and soaking in it daily. 

What. A. Life. Changer. 

It’s always on point. I mean how does that happen?! Outside of the Holy Spirit, how can something written almost 100 years ago be just for me every day year after year? God is so cool to do those kinds of things for us. 

Since I’ve been really digging into this devotional this year, I’ve found some reoccurring themes throughout my study. Now these may just be for me, for my life, for this season I’m in or they may actually have been intentional by Chambers a hundred years ago. I don’t know and I guess it doesn’t really matter, but one of those reoccurring themes for me has been finding beauty in the ordinary or as Chambers likes to call it-drudgery. 

D R U D G E R Y 

What a fun word! It’s the grubby things. The day after day after day of sameness. The times when there seems to be no great mountaintop experience, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out (June 4). 

How many stay at home moms can relate to some drudgery?? I mean… Hello?! (I’m looking at you poop!!) Everyday seems to be more of the same. Wake up. Make breakfast. Fill the dishwasher. Teach children how to be good adults. Feed children food. Teach children to love their siblings. Feed them more food. Put them to bed. Get them a drink. Put them to bed. Help them go potty again. Put them to bed. Pray with them. Again. Put them to bed. Get rid of boogy monster. Put them to bed. Find them asleep on the steps. Put them to bed. Go to bed. Wake up. Do it all again.

I’d say that pretty much sums up drudgery, wouldn’t you? Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe for you drudgery is punching the clock at the same job every.single.day and you hate it. Or maybe it’s month after month of a negative pregnancy test. Or maybe it’s that the one thing you thought you were made to do in the life isn’t happening or didn’t happen the way you thought it would. Or maybe you have no clue what you’re doing in life and you feel a bit like a zombie wandering aimlessly through life. Whatever it is, day after day after day of the same is drudgery and its grubby. 

But Chambers says that drudgery is one of the finest touchstones of character there is (February 19). It will show you real fast what you’re made of. 

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing- that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life. (June 4)

I mean isn’t that just where it’s at? Those ordinary days and ways may just be the very drudgery that we think is killing us ooooorrrrrr it just might be the very thing that God is using to shape and mold us in preparation for that exceptional thing to come. 

Ooooooorrrrrrrrr.. what if this day in and day out just might be the exceptional thing God has for us???

When we learn to sing in the midst of our days and ways we will find that His grace is sufficient and every day has the potential to be a great mountaintop experience. You can find that vision is given. The commonplace day in and day out is wonderful and beautiful. 

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭1‬ HCSB)

If we will arise and shine, drudgery becomes divinely transfigured. 

So thanks Mr. Ozzy. Through you God has challenged my perception of this season of life I’m in and I’m pretty sure that when the next season comes I’ll be thankful for this attitude adjustment.