God is my Janitor

Being a Janitor is not usually one of the jobs that everyone wants to do. It typically is thought of as involving lots of work, little pay, and zero prestige. You know how it is--when a young child is asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"--how many of them answer "I want to be a Janitor!"???? I've never heard this answer given--though I confess I do know one college student today who wanted to be a garbage collector when he grew up. But that was because they got to drive around in those neat trucks!

A job as a Janitor is often one of the jobs that a teen-ager can get. You know, until they get more training and can move on to something "better." I currently live with a Janitor, as our son at this moment is doing two different part-time janitor jobs, saving his earnings towards future college costs. Again, we have looked at it as a great "stepping stone" for him. A means to an end, but certainly not the end in itself, right Lord????

I had a conversation early this morning with a Janitor friend of mine, John. Most days of the week--when I'm good and don't just turn off the alarm and roll back over to slumber--I get up and go walking at a nearby Wellness Center. Every morning I see my friend John, who is the head Janitor of the building. He is very much a witness to me, in that he is always bright and cheerful, in spite of the fact that HIS work day begins at 3:00 a.m., so that he can get certain parts of the building cleaned before people come and start exercising. Well, this morning as I was leaving to head back home, John and I started talking about Janitor work, and how my son is also currently a Janitor, and how frustrating it can be when people just mess things up from carelessness--more than the normal use type of soiling. John shared how at one point he was very discouraged about his job. As soon as he cleaned something, it was messy again. He would go into the bathroom to clean, and there would be urine all over the floor. This was NOT the job that John wanted to keep doing!

John told me that he prayed/complained to God about all the mess, and about how he did not want to keep doing this job--and God answered him. The Holy Spirit talked to John's mind, and brought out the thoughts that God is OUR Janitor. That every single day, without fail, God cleans up the sin from John's life. That John's sin is every bit as repulsive as the urine mess is--in fact, even more so. That just about the time God gets the sin all cleaned up--there we humans go again, sinning again and our souls are just as soiled and nasty as they were before. Even dirtier. But God does not complain. He does not quit. He does not walk away from the job of cleaning us up--therefore we have a hope and a future.



I am so happy that Jesus is willing to be OUR Janitor. He is willing to clean us up. Both inside and outside. In Matthew 8 the story is shared about how Jesus was walking along one day. "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." (verses 2&3) Jesus was willing to touch leprosy. Jesus is willing to touch our sin. But he loves us too much to leave us this way--just like he did not leave the man with leprosy, but cleaned him.

Jesus may not call every one of us to be a Janitor by profession. But He does call every one to accept His cleaning.

Thank you Jesus, for being MY Janitor.