Little is much

It continually humbles me the way that the Lord uses His lowly ones to proclaim His message of love, joy, and mercy. Time and time again I have encountered men, women, and children in the city who clearly have a tough life according to the world's standards, and yet they radiate an infectious sense of hope and serenity. One particular person that has touched me in this way is one of the janitors at my office. We'll call him Martin.

Martin comes to collect the recyclables out of the office recycling bins every day. An African American man of about 40, he is a lanky, balding fellow always sporting the blue pinstripe cleaning uniform polo and baggy navy work pants. Often, he is chewing on a toothpick, but this doesn't deter his cheerful interactions with all of the office staff.

If I were in his place, working his job, I would be incredibly sulky and disenchanted. I mean, who wants the monotonous job of emptying garbage cans all day? But you would think that he was as content as a man who was performing the tasks of his dream job; Martin is always cheerful, always offering a joy-filled greeting to those he passes by. "Hi, how are you?" he'll ask as he energetically empties the bin. "I'm good," I answer, trying to be cheerful too. In my head though, many times I am thinking about how my verbal answer masks my discontent: I wish I were doing something more meaningful, more challenging, more productive. I wish I was doing something where I could clearly see that I was touching lives and changing the world. Or I wish I didn't have a headache, or I wish I had more money, a car, or just a more clearly defined plan for my life.

Then I tell Martin "thank you", and he says with a genuine spirit, "yo're welcome," and and bounces off empty the next plastic bin. Sometimes, I run into him when I am leaving for the day, and he'll say "Have a good night, now," and I know he really means it - he's not just being polite to the other employees because his superior told him to.

I am truly floored by Martin's joy in the midst of such a mundane job. His simplicity and contentment to be a good garbage man and do his job well is really an inspiration. I find myself thinking, "If people like Martin can be content and joyful with the seemingly insignificant and boring jobs that they have to do, day in, and day out, there is no reason why I can be a little more content in what God is calling me to do at this moment."

I sense that Martin just possesses a deep spirit of gratitude that I have yet to reach. I don't know if Martin is a Christian, or what his story is, but from his interactions and disposition, I think that he is very grateful for the ways that he is blessed, and is provided for. Nothing else but this spirit could explain a joyful heart in such circumstances.

And so I pray for a grateful heart. I pray for a heart that sees the blessing in every little task that the Lord has prepared for me, because all of us were" created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

I sense that people such as Martin are able to live the teachings of St. Therese the Little Flower in a very real way, in that they transform ordinary tasks into beautiful works of mercy by the way that they imbue joy. St. Therese said, "To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." It's humbling to think of how many opportunities we have love the Lord and love others by offering our mundane tasks to Him. Why is it so much easier to complain, rather than to whisper a little prayer of offering? May He give us the grace to allow Him to transform our data entry, our e-mail checking, and our trash can emptying into something beautiful and truly joy-filled.