1:00 P.M. Ugh! “Time for work.” I mumbled. Dreading the
mountain of dishes that faithfully awaited me, I walked through the cafeteria
door and glared at the ever-growing pile. I pulled a dark blue apron over my
head and tied it behind me. Looking at the front of the apron, I groaned. The
morning crew had used it, and dried breakfast remains were encrusted all over
it. Walking over the sink, I started spraying the dirty dishes. It never ceased
to amaze me how many different disgusting mixtures people concocted with their
food. Different colors combined on the plates, leaving an undefinable sludge. Ewww, why can’t people leave their food
alone? Then, my work supervisor told
me she wanted me to dry and put away dishes instead. I stomped over to the pots
and yanked them off the counter, making a loud clang. I marched around the
kitchen, banging dishes and feeling angry at the world. “So,” said a sweet,
cheery voice of another café worker, “How has God blessed you this week?” I
faked a smile and came up with some stupid, shallow reply. Not letting it drop,
she pressed harder, “What have you been reading in your devotions lately?” Oh no! Why can’t you just drop it? What do I
say? My mind raced. I couldn’t tell
her that I hadn’t had my devotions that morning. She would think I was a
terrible Christian. I thought up something I had read a few days before, though
it too came out sounding insincere. I returned the questions to her, but as she
went on about her wonderful devotional life and what God was doing for her, my
mind wandered. At that time in my life, my spiritual life had plummeted.
Instead of having my devotions in the mornings, I would sleep, thinking the
extra rest would help me more than God could. Then, at the last minute, I would
read a Bible verse, and if anyone asked me about my devotions, I would try to
make it sound very holy and deep, when in reality, I had no clue what I was
talking about. I thought I couldn’t bear to have my devotions. What I had to
learn was that I couldn’t bear to do without them. Without spending time with
Jesus, I was susceptible to the Devil’s temptations and my life was becoming
dirtier than the nasty dishes I detested. I needed to be rinses, washed, and
disinfected by Jesus. Spending that precious time with Jesus each day makes us
indescribably stronger, and able to withstand evil with God’s help.
