 
The blessing of routine
Routine…we stare at the reality of routine everyday. Wake up, brush teeth, bathe,dress up,go work,eat lunch,work,come home,dinner,relax,brush teeth,sleep…Wake up,brush teeth,bathe…and the cycle goes on and on. Routine is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as “habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure”
However, I ‘ve come to see that routine is actually a blessing from God! Its a radical statement to some, because many times a routine life has connotations to a rather boring and dull life.
Now let me explain why. But before one can understand the blessing of routine, let us lay the perspective from God’s lens first.
We can see the creativity of God in nature on this earth. People, the vast ocean, even the raintrees in the park are beautiful works of God’s endless mosaic of creativity! Therefore, we can thank God for His goodness in all that we see. Even in stormy times in our lives where everything seems to be in ashes, we can still thank God that those times were designed to bring us deeper in love with Him and to know Him more. Did you know that ashes, when mixed with oil, and heated in salt brine, produces a scum that floats on the surface mixture, which when compressed, produces a bar of soap? Therefore, what used to be a worthless and hopeless heap of ashes now becomes something of medical value; in other words, the trials and sufferings we go through and have won the victories can be shared to encourage and bring hope to others who are going through similar experiences!
A verse from Scripture:
Isaiah 61:3
‘to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness,instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. ‘ (NIV)
God is a wise master craftsman. He takes the seemingly useless heaps of ashes in our lives; the mum who always rejects you..the burnt down house and car..the loss of a family member, and turn it into a beautiful work of pottery that glorifies Him in the end. The ashes of our ruined dreams, mixed with God’s anointing oil and the salt of our tears produces a useful material!
So don’t complain about the tough circumstances or despair, because inn Him is hope!
Now, that we’ve laid the foundation of viewing the goodness of God through this lens, we can apply it even to the everyday routine chores of our lives! When we stop living to please ourselves daily and to live to love God (which has nothing in store for our own personal pleasure..that’s the truth) ,every second of time feels more valuable, because we’ll start to realise that only in this life can we start to reciprocate God’s love to a world that doesn’t know Him.
And here is where routine is a blessing, because we get to put acts of Christ love into practical use. For example, I know when my army buddy is going to need toilet paper again the next morning so I’ll did gladly donate mine to him;when i know that my boss is about to brew his standard cappucino coffee at the start of work at 9am, so i gladly sacrifice 10 mins extra sleep just to come in earlier and make coffee for him;Or when I know that that outcast in class who is always alone by himself..I make an effort today to be his friend.
Get the picture? Routine, gives us the advantage of knowing what will probably happen next, and so we can make that repeated moment count for the Lord. I for one confess that i tend to focus too much on living in the future, such as what person I will be like in 10 years time..How will my future home look etc…But its really in the everyday, sometimes seemingly boring moments of daily routine that we can make a difference in someone else’s life, but not just that, to please God too!
