Open Mic Night
Once a year, I make it a point to attend a poetry open mic night. They really are the best. If I was a stand-up comedian, I could get a years worth of material from these things!! One time, no joke, I felt like I was watching an SNL skit.
The evening is guaranteed to make me laugh, whether or not that’s the presenter’s intent. It’s not all humorous though. I’m typically moved to tears at least a couple times in the night.
A Matter of Perspective
I few years back, I heard from a writer who was born with a unique condition that cause the muscles in her face to be paralyzed. She is unable to express emotion the way most of us do. I believe this has given her a very unique perspective on beauty.
That evening she shared a poem about something I deem dreadful– the dishes. In her poem, she talked about the process of carefully washing each used and dirtied plate and making it clean. She shared the sentiment she felt as she made each dish usable again.
The poem brought tears to my eyes, and kinda made me look forward to going home and washing dishes! But even more importantly it caused me to wonder, what joy am I not seeing because I’m too busy complaining?
The entire book of Ecclesiastes is relatively cynical. I wouldn’t recommend reading it if you’re already feeling discouraged. Solomon talks about the futility of life and how the passing of time renders all things meaningless. Like I said, not really a “pick-me-up.”
Advice From The Cynic
But despite his cynical perspective on life, Solomon surprisingly has advice to give.
There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink and enjoy his work.
Ecclesiastes 2:24 (Italics added)
“Enjoy his work.” That really stood out to me. Nowadays, one is more likely to hear, “Do what you love” or “Find work you enjoy.”
There is nothing wrong with finding work that you enjoy, but there is a lot to be said for enjoying the work right in front of you.
If I don’t want to do work, I’ll distract myself through it rather than trying to enjoy it. And I’m even more likely to just not do it. Hello, unfolded laundry!
What if we opened our eyes to see the joy in the work we do? I wonder what we might see?
When Solomon looks at the sun, it reminds him of the monotony of life.
“The sun rises and the sun sets; panting it returns to its place where it rises.”
Ecclesiastes 1:5
Yet, the Psalmist looks at the same sun and sees God’s power and faithfulness.
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
Psalm 50:1
There are a number of reasons we may find our work unenjoyable and difficult, but what if we tried to embrace it?
Who knows what joy we might see.
Closing Prayer
Father open our eyes to see the beauty all around us. Open our eyes to see the joy you have placed right in front of us. Let us cease complaining in exchange for embracing our work.
PS –
I’m attending another open mic night next week. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Which reminds me, if you don’t already do so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, so you can hear about it.
I’ll likely also mention it on the radio show I’ll be hosting, At Home and Abroad on Alive Radio Network. It airs Thursday’s at noon.
