Hello!
Washing dishes is one of those chores that you know needs to get done, you put off for far too long, and when you finally get to it, you realize it’s actually relaxing. There’s something about seeing dishes go from grimy to gleaming that settles the soul a little. The greatest challenge though is getting the water temperature just right.
For some folks: the hotter the better. I cannot stick my hand into the water when Ethan is washing dishes. My hand will come out looking like a parboiled lobster. The only way you can stick your hands into that dishwashing water is with gloves. I never got the hang of washing dishes with gloves though.
Somehow, I would always get the lava-hot water into the glove and my hand would be scalded. Then I’d rip my hand out and accidentally send the lava water up my shirt sleeves instead, getting nice first degree burns on my arms in the process. I exaggerate, but I’m not a fan of gloves in boiling hot water.
The other extreme is the dish washing water on Friday nights after youth. The sink gets filled at the end of Junior Collision with steaming hot water and soap to wash the cups. Three hours later, after the water was used to wash greasy dinner plates and the mountain of soapy bubbles is long gone, there is still a pile of mugs at the bottom of the sink beneath cold water with a film of oil coating the surface. No-one thought of letting the water out and refilling the sink, or better yet, to just wash their own plate and mug. I complain about this vile set up, but Andile is normally the one who tackles this slimy stack of dishes. (Thanks Andile!) So, cold water is a definite no go either for getting dishes sparkling clean.
Somewhere in the middle there is the good balance that gets your dishes clean and is as soothing as taking a bath. Best be quick though! That perfect temperature stays for about 5 minutes then you’re trying to scour pots with lukewarm water. It gets harder and harder to remove the grime. Eventually you drain it all and add hot water until it’s back to your perfect temperature again. Then you start the whole thing again. Or you just leave the pots to “soak”.
At some point this year I was feeling a bit like lukewarm dish water. I started out excited, full of energy and game for anything. Like the hot water I had a stack of stuff to do and people to speak with. There was a lot to get done but I had the energy for it. I tackled the tasks and at first it was easy. No problems with keeping to my rhythms, getting tasks done, and being available for the people that I needed to help. But slowly my water cooled. Scrubbing became harder. Putting in the elbow grease, didn’t seem to be paying off. The effort I was putting into relationships seemed to be fruitless. I started putting some of my pots, my responsibilities, aside to “soak”.
Lukewarm water feels dirty. It comes with the collection of muck that settles at the bottom or on the surface, making it even less appealing to dip your hands back in to carry on washing. As I became less enthusiastic, I started focusing on the muck more. The clutter: physical, spiritual and emotional that had clogged up my life. All I could see was the difficulties and what had started as fulfilling, was becoming gross. It wasn’t burnout, it was just frustration at a seeming lack of progress. Treading stagnant, lukewarm water.
The only way to free yourself from that lukewarm dish water is to get rid of it. Drain the sink, fill it up and keep going. For me, that was cleaning up my physical space at home and work, choosing to not let rejection become personal, and identifying all the little wins. Most importantly, it involved pouring myself out to God. Releasing all the disappointment, frustration and other draining emotions to Him. Allowing it to all flow out, rinsing out the muck left at the bottom, the negative thoughts and attitudes I was clinging to. Once the negativity was gone, I could refill my sink.
When washing dishes there is a clear finishing point. Eventually all the dishes are done. (For about five minutes until someone brings a hidden mug through). Maybe you had to refill the sink once to get them all done, but that’s the end of it. Living to serve God is not like that. We are expected to live like Him and for Him our whole lives. This is exhausting and often disheartening. Lukewarm love is easy to slip into. It is so important in our walks with God, to sit down sometimes and let Him wash you clean. To pour out everything and then be refilled by rivers of Living Waters. If you’re starting to feel like leaving your dishes to soak, it might be time to let the lukewarm water out and be refilled.
Much love in Christ
Heather P