Mundane Things Matter

By: John Carrigan

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:17 (ESV)

Life is full of struggles, but It's encouraging to know even Paul struggled to overcome his flesh. But when our flesh is weak, we have a helper! The Holy Spirit dwells in Christ followers, and He gives us the strength to obey God, even when we don’t feel like it. All Christ followers have been born again, so we are no longer in bondage to sin. We'll never be sinless, but we should sin less as we become more like Jesus. Being a disciple isn't just ceasing to do evil; it's learning how to use our spiritual gifts for God! Our goal is to bring forth good fruit, empowered by Jesus to live a life that brings God glory. You see, God will never call us to do something without empowering us and making it possible.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. Romans 7:21-23 (NLT)

Having a Christian worldview is transforming. The Holy Spirit helps us see God in many things, both big and small, and God can use anything to build His kingdom. He can (and will) use the most mundane objects to teach us spiritual principles. For example, one day I was washing dishes, and there were some disposable plastic containers that our takeout food came in. At our house, we like to save the sturdy ones because they can be repurposed and used for many things later. But I don’t like taking the time to handwash them! More than once, I've put them in our dishwasher to save time. When I do, they usually come out misshapen and melted, no longer useful for anything.

As I washed those containers, I pondered the things in life I really don’t like to do... You know, those things we complain about, but end up doing anyway because it’s the right thing to do. To be candid, I think if I only relied on my flesh, I might do some of those things differently. But as I stood there at the sink washing dishes, God used those plastic containers to remind me it’s not about what I want, it's about what He wants!

God, thank you for reminding me (again) that I'm not the one in charge of things!