If I asked you who Fred the Baker was, you probably wouldn’t know, but what if I told you he was famous for saying, “Time to make the donuts”? Instantly you can picture a mustached man, half-asleep, rolling out of bed before dawn and shuffling toward the door while he flatly mutters, “Time to make the donuts” every day. It has turned out to be marketing genius since nearly 40 years later people still repeat the quote when there is work to do (the same work) as there was the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. It is so effective because it is so relatable. Life certainly has many mountains and valleys, but between them are long stretches of tiresome repetition.
A favorite part of my previous career in law enforcement is the stories that I amassed over the years—funny ones, sad ones, gross ones, unbelievable ones. However, they were experiences that took place over decades. It was not uncommon for a friend (that had heard the stories) to join me for a ride-along, only to ask, mid-shift, to be dropped back to his car because he was bored. Even in a job that requires a badge, a gun, lights and sirens the reality was that most nights were filled with unremarkable and uninteresting calls for service.
The same could said about the Christian life. When you reflect on your journey as a believer you can point to times in which God faithfully bore you through particularly challenging hardships. Perhaps you can recount your amazement when He blessed you in an unexpected way at precisely the right time. Most importantly, you should be able to identify the increase in spiritual maturity between the person you were at the beginning of your walk and who you are in Christ today.
Your growth from spiritual adolescent to spiritual adult did not take place exclusively during times of great blessings or intense crises. Much of it took place during the routine turn of calendar pages. Yes, the average day with its ordinary responsibilities (the one that is an exact replica of the day before) is an opportunity to glorify God and to grow in holiness.
The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” is used 245 times in the Old Testament. Besides seeing it frequently in their Bibles, Christians are very comfortable talking and even singing about the “steadfast love” of God. However, it may not have occurred to you that this attribute means that He is caring for you during the most routine times of your life. He is not just steadfast in your trials, He continues to faithfully conform you more into the image of the Son during the most pedestrian of weeks.
Consider the words of 1 Corinthians 15:57-58:
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
As a child of God that has gained victory through Jesus Christ, you are called to give thanks and to reflect the fidelity of your Father. Be steadfast and immovable in dependably serving your Savior, “knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” These verses are not reserved for those in full-time ministry. They are for construction workers and cake designers. They are for surgeons and secretaries. They are for window installers and web designers. They are for you!
If you are a stay-at-home mom that finds herself making the same meals and picking up the same toys day after day, then do it to the glory of God. Your labor is not lost on your God. If, as a customer service representative, you find yourself answering the same questions all day, every day, then do it steadfastly in a way that reflects the faithfulness shown to you by God. If you sweep and net the same swimming pools on the same route with little contact with others, then do it consistently without grumbling or complaining, knowing that your godly attitude about the job God has given you is not in vain.
The next time you slide your feet from the bed to the floor and pause to think, “Time to make the donuts,” remember that you serve a God whose steadfast love endures forever. There is an entire Christian life to be lived during “mundane” stretches of time. An ordinary life lived for Christ takes place in full view of an almighty God that honors those that reflect His steadfast character.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Col. 3:23–24)