as to the Lord

So I cleaned the shower tonight.  That's what I like to do on my Saturday nights: clean the shower because I'm a party animal.

Actually, I hate cleaning the shower. I can't even give you a good reason why I hate it; I just do.  It doesn't gross me out.  It doesn't take very long.  It feels so good when it's done, but I hate it.

So as I'm cleaning it I am reminded of a lesson that was taught to me many years ago, early in our marriage that has saved me from many troubles in our relationship.  I think it was my pastor who taught the lesson.

Every great once in a while, not often at all, very infrequently my husband and I don't see eye to eye. (Ha!). All right. So we argue once in a while. And we don't always come to a happy conclusion right away.  There might be some stewing that goes on for a few hours or maybe a day.  

And then came time to make dinner.  Or fold a load of laundry with his shirts in it.  Or it was a day when I was cleaning the bathrooms. Whatever it was, if it had anything to do with "doing something for my husband," I didn't want to do it.  Spite.  Rebellion.  Call it what you want, but my heart wasn't there.  And it made me angrier that I was doing something for the man who had made me so angry! (It was never my fault, you know.  Always his fault because I'm perfect and always right.  And if you cannot catch the sarcasm there, go back and try it with your best sarcastic tone.)

There were times when I didn't do what was my normal routine for him because my spite got in the away.  Well, as you can imagine that just made the situation worse and everybody angrier!  

And then I learned the invaluable lesson:

When you cannot do something for your spouse out of love for them, do it as if you were doing it for the Lord.  Do it out of love for the Lord, out of obedience.  Do it because He asked you to.  When you are doing these chores for Him, it makes it a lot easy to get them done because you are not swallowing the big "spite" pill to do it.  

There have been times when I have had to repeat to myself: "as if unto the Lord, as if unto the Lord, as if unto the Lord," just to keep my perspective focused where it needed to be.  

So I cleaned the shower tonight because I know God would have wants me to.  (It was getting to the disgusting level and my husband had not complained once). But tonight I also cleaned the shower for my husband because it'll make him happy.  And I like having a happy husband.

KC