Mornings with Brother Lawrence
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Gal 1:10 (ESV)
You doing good things when suddenly one day you ask yourself, “So why am I getting the short end of the stick then?” Well…okay…maybe not you, but I have been asking myself that question. I’ve have recently come to the conclusion that my servant’s heart is in desperate need of routine maintenance. So I have been spending my mornings with Brother Lawrence, well actually I am reading “The Practice of the Presence of God.”
Nicolas Herman has his revelation of the power of God at the age of eighteen and becomes this lowly kitchen worker known as Brother Lawrence.
A simple prayer he shares goes…
“Lord of all pots and pans and things
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates!”
I have spent the better part of the last five years trying to climb up the servant’s ladder only to have read this and felt that maybe the lower rungs are where it’s at. Here I have been digging into things like Systematic Theology for a better understanding of my journey with God and this guy could have cared less about it.
A convicting little diddy he said was, “That we ought to quicken-i.e., to enliven-our faith. That it was lamentable we had so little; and that instead of taking faith for the rule of their conduct, men amused themselves with trivial devotions, which changed daily.” WOW…I wonder if he got Freedom Fighters when he made that statement? Hmmm…All kidding aside it blows me away that Brother Lawrence was pleased with cleaning up straw from the ground for the love of God.
I was recently prompted to “Go out into all the world” with a ministry team named “M-28” on a Saturday morning in Atlantic City. (side-note here…I am not a fan of this city at all) This ministry provides a morning of hot coffee, sandwiches, fruit, clothes and the very Word of God. Brothers Dario and Jak gave a simple message on how the love of Jesus Christ can be bestowed upon them and that without God’s grace they, themselves, would still be of the world. As Brother Dario puts it he would still be, “rippin’ and runnin.” For me it was like having a Brother Lawrence moment. I was content in just cleaning up after people who didn’t have much to live on. Pass out pairs of gloves and socks…just asking simple questions like, “How are you doing?” What can I get you?”
When the book gets to the “Second Conversation” I get the impression that Brother Lawrence may have looked forward to being chastened. He expected to have his turn of pain and suffering, knowing full well that God WOULD NOT FAIL giving him the strength to bear it. After my time with M-28 (based on Matthew 28) things for me would come to same conclusions. Had a major household repair that needed to be done no sooner than me getting back from my time in Atlantic City. I just reflected back on man who was lame and simply loved God in it. He got the short end of the stick and expected it…I had my moments where I grumbled over it. I need to be grateful that I get any end of the stick. Hope you feel the same way. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and regular Freedom Fighter Contributor
Compass Pointers: “O my God, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections.” Brother Lawrence
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is a powerful thing, for God has bound and tied Himself thereto. Martin Luther
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