Never Ending

It is the first week of November and it seems like we are being blessed with a week of nice weather.  It was clear and in the 60s and because of daylights savings time, it got dark about 6pm.  But after work I went out to rake leaves while I could.  We have a lot of trees in our yard and with that comes a lot of leaves.  I mean a lot of leaves.  And acorns.  This year has been a particularly big year for acorns.  There is nothing much to do with acorns other than dumping them in the woods for the deer to eat.

The thing about our autumn yard work is that it is never done.  There are so many leaves that the clean up goes on and on until they are covered with snow.  Then we take a break until spring.  And continue the clean up then.  It can get kind of discouraging.  When I am raking in the yard I know that I will never get done.  Bur that doesn't mean that I don't make a difference.  Last night I was working in the garden area to the side of the house (A place we call the courtyard) and when I was done it looked quite a bit better.  The front yard, the back yard, the other side of the house all need attention, but the area that I worked on is better.  And that is an accomplishment.

Like raking leaves, some jobs never seem to end.  Laundry can be like that.  Or shoveling snow in the winter.  Or washing dishes.  Or mowing the grass.  I am a teacher, so I would put grading papers on the list,  It seems like whenever I get to the bottom of the pile, there is always another thing getting turned in.  

It reminds me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus.  According to the story. Sisyphus was condemned to push a giant rock up a hill for all eternity.  When he got to the top the rock would roll back down to the bottom and the process would start again.  Our ongoing tasks can feel like the work of Sisyphus.  On going, never ending, and pointless.

There is of course a big difference between the toil of Sisyphus and our ongoing tasks.  The difference is that they make a difference.  Pushing the rock up the hill is a pointless exercise that benefits no one.  But the same is not true for grading papers.  Students receive feedback on their work and through that feedback can improve.  By doing laundry we have clean clothes to wear.  And by raking the leaves in the courtyard, The grass grows better and the flowers will grow better in the spring.  The efforts do make a difference.

As Christians we are called to help those less fortunate.  And as we look at the enormity of the need, it seems to never end.  We see the abject poverty in the world, both in foreign countries and here at home, and we are left thinking that there is no way that we can solve all of this.  And we are right.

But just because we can't fix everything, does not mean that there is nothing that we can do.  We can still make a difference in some places for some people.  And that is our assignment.  We are called to do what we can, where we can for whom we can.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

The poor will always be with you.  Jesus offers that as a reminder that in all things we need to keep our focus on Him.  But it is also a challenge.  We will always have the poor.  The job of caring for others will never be done.  Ever.

There is much to do and as Christians we are called to do what we can, where we can for whom we can.  And just because the job is never complete, does not mean that our efforts do not make a difference in someone's life.