Lessons in Futility

Have you ever felt like you were running in a hampster wheel? Going nowhere as fast as you can? Well, lately I have made mental note of a few jobs I have witnessed people doing that were, well.....pointless.

The first is the lady at our "South Lake" park. We travel around, through, beside this park almost every day of our lives here. Rob and I routinely ride our bikes to class and our route is to "cut through" the park to save time. The park has a wonderful wide sidewalk/road where we can ride conveniently along with everyone else with no worry of cars or buses. Inside the park there are several small "gates" that keep cars from driving on the nice sidewalk, because that happens sometimes, and usually those are open just wide enough for bikes and people to go through. However....there is this one "gate" that has a lady who sits in the guard shack next to it and tells people they aren't permitted to go through, unless they are on foot. But, only sometimes. Most every day this gate is open, bikes passing through evey few minutes, and the lady just sits and watches. Other days, the lady decides to stand up and yell at you (me) as you drive through. I, being the good citizen that I am, always have my ipod volume turned up loud and my sunglasses on. No eye contact, no hearing. To me, her job is futile. She has no authority to actually stop people nor does she really even try. And yet, day after day, she comes to work to sit in her little guard shack and watch people driven in and out of the gates. Some days she chooses to make a difference, other days...she doesn't. Meaning, she is ineffective.

The second futile job is the lady who mops the floors at KFC. If you have ever been here you will know and understand why you take off your shoes when you enter a home. The floors and streets are FILTHY!! So, you can imagine it is a full time job keeping those floors clean, and yet they always need to be cleaned. Last week we carried our food up the stairs to the second floor just as she was coming down with her mop. The clean stairs were instantly soiled by all of our dirty shoes and it looked immediately like the stairs needed mopping. I watched her all hour as she did nothing but mop up and down the stairs over and over again. As people came and went it was amazing how futile her job was. Yet every day she comes to work and mops.

These two situations have stuck in my mind lately. I have questioned myself on things that I do that are futile and pointless. The "time wasters" that have no eternal value, the things that I put such stock in yet are fleeting. And I wonder, am I like the woman who shows up every day and yet makes no difference or am I like the woman who works hard every day on something that will not last?

Lest you think that I am feeling "down" or "discouraged", quite contrary, I am inspired and encouraged to know that the One I work for has such a great plan and purpose and I have the sweet privilege to take part with Him! I am also reminded to be on the lookout in my own life for things that may distract me from those things.

In reflecting on the new year, the passing of time, etc, I am reminded again of Who I work for. That "He who has called me is faithful, and He will do it." That "He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it". That I need to be "about His business" every day so that my life will be a reflection of Him, not a lesson in futility.