The Power Of A Mop
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
God can use each of us right where we are, and God can use us with whatever we have. And that's because He is with us wherever we are. Think about it, even if we have a mop in our hands, God can turn it into a megaphone in our hands. It is truly amazing to me how God can empower us to change a life even in the most innocent ways! We may not be seen as important in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God we are beloved and bold!
Everything about our church is centered on touching lives with the love of Christ through the message of the cross. From the broken in spirit to the bruised emotions, from the soul suffering in sickness to the shamed suffering in society, it’s our duty as God’s ambassadors of compassion to look for those opportunities to love people.
I recently came across a great story that sums up everything about our calling as Christians to engage in our culture. Let it inspire you to be bold where ever God leads you.
“I didn’t go to church in jail to find God. I went because it was the only way to interact with guys from other blocks and pass off drugs.
On this particular day, I had to get some pills to a guy in B block, and the chapel was the safest way to do it. I don’t remember the sermon, I don’t remember the pastor’s name, but I do remember the janitor. She was always there, a quiet woman in her late forties, and she wore a faded uniform and kept her eyes down.
That day, as I was passing off the pills, she did something no one expected – she asked the chaplain if she could say a few words. Then she said she has been mopping the floors of Linn County Jail for eight years. And every night, as the halls emptied, she filled her mop bucket with warm water, a splash of disinfectant and anointing oil.
Then she spoke these amazing words, ‘I pray over each cell and every soul as I work night after night. I know you all don’t see me, but I see you. And more importantly, God sees you.’ And then she said, ‘You think no one’s fighting for you, but I've I been fighting for you on my knees for eight years. You think no one cares, but I care and God cares. And this mop water has more of heaven in it than you’ll ever know.’
Right then I felt my heart in my throat. I felt something deeper than fear or shame – I felt seen for the first time in my life! And then the last words she said to us were, ‘God loves you. Not the future you. Not the cleaned-up you. He loves you right now just as you are.’
Right then, in the most corrupt place imaginable, I cried like a baby! So did the dealer from C block and the lifer from A block. It was like time stopped, and the Spirit of God swept through those thick cement walls with the fragrance of Pine-Sol. And then she picked up her mop and walked out.
That was fifteen years ago, and I still don’t know her name. That janitor without a title and without a stage delivered a sermon that still chokes me up. You see, she didn’t come to save us, she came to serve us. And then she let God do the rest.”
God bless you,
Pastor Dave
God can use each of us right where we are, and God can use us with whatever we have. And that's because He is with us wherever we are. Think about it, even if we have a mop in our hands, God can turn it into a megaphone in our hands. It is truly amazing to me how God can empower us to change a life even in the most innocent ways! We may not be seen as important in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God we are beloved and bold!
Everything about our church is centered on touching lives with the love of Christ through the message of the cross. From the broken in spirit to the bruised emotions, from the soul suffering in sickness to the shamed suffering in society, it’s our duty as God’s ambassadors of compassion to look for those opportunities to love people.
I recently came across a great story that sums up everything about our calling as Christians to engage in our culture. Let it inspire you to be bold where ever God leads you.
“I didn’t go to church in jail to find God. I went because it was the only way to interact with guys from other blocks and pass off drugs.
On this particular day, I had to get some pills to a guy in B block, and the chapel was the safest way to do it. I don’t remember the sermon, I don’t remember the pastor’s name, but I do remember the janitor. She was always there, a quiet woman in her late forties, and she wore a faded uniform and kept her eyes down.
That day, as I was passing off the pills, she did something no one expected – she asked the chaplain if she could say a few words. Then she said she has been mopping the floors of Linn County Jail for eight years. And every night, as the halls emptied, she filled her mop bucket with warm water, a splash of disinfectant and anointing oil.
Then she spoke these amazing words, ‘I pray over each cell and every soul as I work night after night. I know you all don’t see me, but I see you. And more importantly, God sees you.’ And then she said, ‘You think no one’s fighting for you, but I've I been fighting for you on my knees for eight years. You think no one cares, but I care and God cares. And this mop water has more of heaven in it than you’ll ever know.’
Right then I felt my heart in my throat. I felt something deeper than fear or shame – I felt seen for the first time in my life! And then the last words she said to us were, ‘God loves you. Not the future you. Not the cleaned-up you. He loves you right now just as you are.’
Right then, in the most corrupt place imaginable, I cried like a baby! So did the dealer from C block and the lifer from A block. It was like time stopped, and the Spirit of God swept through those thick cement walls with the fragrance of Pine-Sol. And then she picked up her mop and walked out.
That was fifteen years ago, and I still don’t know her name. That janitor without a title and without a stage delivered a sermon that still chokes me up. You see, she didn’t come to save us, she came to serve us. And then she let God do the rest.”
God bless you,
Pastor Dave
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