Our new dishwasher arrives tomorrow. I knew something was amiss with our old one when halfway through the wash cycle it got very quiet. You see our old dishwasher was never quiet. When it was running, it was like the rumbling of a freight train going through our kitchen.

So, because of this, I was quite happy when it finally called it quits. I had no choice now but to buy a new one…a nice quiet one. That was four weeks ago! The dishwasher I bought was on backorder and wouldn’t arrive until Feb. 4th. At the time I figured Okay, no big deal. So I have to hand wash the dishes for a while. It might even be kind of fun, you know, revisit days gone by.

And you know what? It actually has been nice. I must say I’ve enjoyed my time at the sink. Standing there looking out the window with a sink full of dishes soaking in warm soapy water. It’s nice to just slow down and appreciate the moment and all the things that make up the moment.

I scrub pots and pans, bowls and glasses and I think about how we live in a culture of instant gratification and convenience. From microwave ovens, to washers and dryers, smart phones, and, you name it; everything around us is made to make our lives easier and faster.

We’ve become so engrossed and accustomed to this way of life, that when something malfunctions (like a dishwasher) and we have to do without it, it kind of throws us off a little.

I think the same can sometimes be said with our walk with God. We’re so accustomed to living a life on the go and having everything work for our convenience we sort of unwittingly put those expectations on God.

We wake up in the morning with our To Do list: work, school, kids, etc. and we try to squeeze God in somewhere in between. By day’s end we’re spent. We climb into bed and start the whole process over in the morning.

Sometimes, out of love, God allows something to break in our lives – job, health, and family - in order to slow us down and turn our full attention back on Him. He will allow this in order to help re-focus us.

Life is a beautiful gift - a beautiful gift, full of the Giver’s love. It surrounds us no matter where we are, no matter what we’re doing. I admit, come Tuesday, I’ll miss having to slow down and take the time to wash dishes by hand. There was a gift in those moments. May I always have the eyes to see these beautiful gifts from the One who so freely gives.

-Dina Pugh