The Divine Janitor!

I remember my days as a janitor. I had completed most of my studies, had amassed a few degrees, moved to a new state, and found myself unemployed. I was grateful to be given a job as a janitor at a federal building. It was definitely a change from the management job I came from during endless schooling, but I enjoyed the fellowship there and my weekly Bible study with the FBI agent.

I was surprised to see how happy people could be if things were kept clean. It seems that one person’s leaving a dirty toilet stall in the morning could affect the mood of many by midday. There was a simple fix: I could just return to clean the toilet throughout the day. It seems that workers do not mind a coworker who is messy if there is someone to clean up the mess. People do not mind the snow if someone is there to shovel it for them. A janitor’s job is a very important one.

Now this brings me to my topic. “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life.” Why would this goodness and lovingkindness following him excite the psalmist? Would it not be much nicer if goodness and lovingkindness went ahead of him? Well, they come after him to clean up the mess that he made.

If I look objectively at my behavior toward those that I love in my personal family and the family of God, there is no plausible reason why anyone talks to me, prays for me, or ministers with me. The only thing I can come up with is that goodness and lovingkindess came behind and cleaned up the mess that I made of relationships, jobs, promises, and more. Goodness and lovingkindness have made my relationships possible.

Therefore I, like the psalmist, will sing with joy, “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life!”

~ Michael Wells