Rethinking “menial” tasks

When my children were babies, I felt very pressed for time. With all the demands of caring for a young family, I seemed unable to find time to do other things I really wanted to do. It was frustrating.

Then I learned two lessons that gave me a whole new perspective on time and how I was filling it. First, it dawned on me that I didn’t have to feel continually rushed. I could mentally take what I’d thought of as my day and my time and hand them over to a higher power. Why not place them in God’s hands, rather than be restricted to the ticking of a clock? It made sense to know that because God is all good, there would always be time for all of His goodness. It felt so liberating! 

Second, I came to see that there is no such thing as a menial task. With young children around, there were always loads to be washed, mopping up to do, and so many other chores to get through before I could get on to something important—or so I thought. But I learned in my study of Christian Science that man is not a human being with a burdensome to-do list. He is God’s image and likeness, as the first chapter of the Bible tells us. So the true, spiritual identity of each of us is the reflection of the divine Mind.