The Fruits of Our Labor

I was sitting out on the deck last night catching up on reading my devotionals. I believe that some days when I do not get a chance to read my devotionals, it is because they will be best left unread until the time is right for the words that are written to have the most impact. That was most certainly the case last night. It was a peaceful night, the stars twinkling above, peeking at me through the canopy of trees that is above our back deck. I had several candles lit, and the sounds of nature filled the quiet night with peaceful, unobtrusive sound. The temperature could not have been more perfect, and I settled in the chair with the soft glow from the kitchen illuminating the page of my book. As I read the entry for April 26Th, from "Streams in the Desert", I was pulled into understanding of a truth that was elusive.

The glory of tomorrow is rooted in the drudgery of today.

As I looked around at the oasis I had created on my deck (with God's help of course), I was taken back to last week when I worked several hours on my hands and knees scrubbing the deck boards until all of the mold and grime from the past was removed, and only the bare boards remained. I worked tirelessly until all was done. Then I waited for a few days and went back to work painstakingly removing every single piece of debris that was lodged between all 58 cracks between the deck planks. I used a one and a half inch flat putty knife and a rubber mallet to inch my way along the lines until all was clear, and every last piece of broken acorn shell, and every last twig, and every last wayward dried leaf stem was removed and no longer an obstacle to my next step which was staining. I found my brush, and on my hands and knees, started the process of applying the stain that would transform the weathered old boards into a beautiful floor. As I brushed each stroke, and saw the promise of what would be I could not help but allow excitement to quicken the beat of my heart. As I moved along, my daughter Kelly came out to work beside me, and her determination to meet my strokes was heartwarming. She was there beside me to cheer me on, and to do her part and share the burden of the work. Then Wubby returned from the ball fields where he had been umpiring for the past five hours, to change his clothes and pitch in to complete the project. Wow. When we were finished, I could hardly wait for the next day, the 24 hour drying time, to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Kelly and I took what energy we had left and put it into planting the flowers we had purchased earlier that day, so that as soon as the deck was dry, we would be able to assemble our summer oasis. Before starting all of the work, I could only see the drudgery, and hard work that stretched out ahead of me. I knew of the faint glimmer of hope that it would be a wonderful work when finished, but getting to that "wonderful" was going to involve lots of sweat and sore muscles. Drudgery, for sure. This drudgery gave way to the glory of the finished project. No longer just a deck off of the kitchen, but a place of shade and refreshment. A place to lounge, or chat, or read and sip iced tea or coffee. A place where I can gaze around at the colors of summer, and smell the fragrance of flowers in the air. A place to lean back, and to gaze upward at God, and thank Him for the drudgery, and tell Him that I would do it all again, although He already knows that I would.
I cannot help but realize the similarities between this work and the work we have put into bringing our daughter home. At times there has been such drudgery. But I will keep reminding myself, "The glory of tomorrow is rooted in the drudgery of today."