Sometimes Serving God Is Just Washing the Dishes

Hello! Many times we think that we are not doing enough for our neighbor or for a better world. All of this comes from a culture that values great deeds. 

For example, in the context of some religions, there are many martyrs—people who died preaching their beliefs to hostile peoples—or great religious leaders who built true empires of faith with the money of their followers. However, is that really what the Eternal requires of us?

In fact, no. There is, for example, a well-known case of a young man who was killed by natives of an island that refuses contact with the outside world. The young man thought it was God’s will for him to convert that isolated tribe, but it was not. After all, if the Eternal wanted those people to follow that religion, He Himself would have manifested to them. The greatest proof that it was not His will is that He did not save or protect that young man from his misguided attitude.

But then, what does the Eternal require of us?

The Eternal does not need anything that comes from us, not even any kind of worship. He is complete in Himself.

The only thing He desires for us is that we live in fullness, that we may have a happy, prosperous, and intelligent life, based on reason and not on great eloquent deeds or acts of heroism. A simple and ordinary life—doing our daily duties sincerely—is far better than reckless actions and grand evangelistic acts.

Our God does not need our help, unlike the gods of other religions that require large amounts of money, many missionaries, teaching materials, and pamphlets to be known. 

The Eternal, our God, simply does not need any of that. He touches and manifests Himself to those who are sincerely searching for answers, and surely many will come to Him one way or another.

Therefore, our religion does not require preachers, nor leaders or missionaries. Some only do this as a way of sharing their own experience, based on the idea that “the best sermon is the example”: people can see when a life has something different, a brightness and excellence not found in many places.

Thus, sometimes it is much better to serve God by organizing your own life, taking good care of the people in your home, fixing what needs to be fixed, cleaning, and washing the dishes, rather than living on the streets preaching to strangers while neglecting your own spouse and children.

Put your own life in order first. Take good care of your body, do good, avoid the malice of this world, idle gossip, judgment against others, political polarization. 

Focus on your personal growth, your intellectual development, and the care of your household. All of this is far more important than great gestures of outward penance which, in fact, only feed vanity and are far from the true God. Many times, serving Him is just washing your own dishes.

May the Eternal Consciousness always bless us.

Aisi~