Things You Can Learn Cleaning the Church

Yesterday I was privileged to help clean the church. I usually sign up for vacuuming duties and come equipped with headphones to make the otherwise menial task go by faster. We usually have a good turnout and so it was yesterday, so it goes by quickly and smoothly.

Unlike cleaning my own house, the church is usually quite clean when we start, and a sister in our ward commented on that. I replied that I couldn't tell if I was making a difference. Sometimes the gospel is like that. Some callings may not seem as important as others, and we think we are not having any effect in the great scheme of things. But others will notice the little things we may not, and certainly the Lord notices every kind act.

I usually make three laps down the hall to cover the left side, middle, and right side. I always hope the cord will be long enough to make it to the next outlet. As I unwound the cord and stretched it out, I noticed it barely reached the outlet down the hall. It almost seemed peculiar, but the words popped into my head, "My grace is sufficient" (see Ether 12: 27; 2 Corinthians 12: 9). Like the vacuum cord, His grace always seems sufficient to bridge the gap, however large and looming, between what I can do and what needs to be done.

Then, by not paying attention, I went down the hall a little too far and the plug came out of the wall. I could still go through the motions and push the vacuum down the hall, but now there was no power. I thought of my own personal recovery from addiction and alcoholism. I can go through the Twelve Steps, and I can go through the daily motion of gospel living, but without my Savior's grace and the power of His Atonement, spiritual progress simply doesn't happen. I simply backtracked, repented, got plugged in, and the floor started to get cleaner.

As I tried to go around a corner, the cord got tangled in a table in the hallway. I thought about how dumb I was that I didn't pull the cord around the table, or move the table. But the Spirit quickly comforted me, reminding me that my personal hero, the Prophet Joseph Smith received of God's grace, and then became "entangled again in the vanities of the world. But after repenting, and humbling himself sincerely, through faith, God ministered unto him by an holy angel, whose countenance was as lightning, and whose garments were pure and white above all other whiteness" (D&C 20: 5-6). Now if I could just get the tile under the drinking fountain "pure and white."

I went over the surface of the tile with the vacuum, but some spots still looked dirty. I didn't have any other cleaning materials, so I scraped away some of the dirt with my thumbnail. That part wasn't pleasant, but neither was the infinite Atonement wrought out in Gethsemane by a loving Savior, who was willing to bear the bruises of a filthy life, to scrape away the natural man inside myself.

When I went down the hall in the other direction, I got tangled up again in the same table. How stupid! Then before I could fix it, a young man came out of the cultural hall where they were playing basketball and untangled the cord for me. He didn't have to do that. He hadn't signed up for cleaning. But he stopped to help me. I thought of how living the gospel was like that. We are all in this together. We get to "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees," because all of us will probably have a time when the hands hang down, the knees get weak, and the cords get tangled (see D&C 81: 5).

Then, as if I needed a second witness, a song came on through my headphones. It was "Ohio" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). It's a fine 1970 protest song, and it brought back recent memories from two years ago. My daughter had to write a paper for her high school English class about a protest song, and she came to me knowing I have all kinds of vintage music, and I suggested the song to her. I helped her get an "A" on her paper, and now she is helping me by blessing our lives as she recently began her mission. She has been in the MTC for 18 days now, and I miss her lots, but I'm so glad she is serving the Lord as a full-time missionary. We know we are being blessed as a family. 

I listen to my music alphabetically, since I don't think Apple shuffles my music right, so the song "Ol' 55" (The Eagles) came up next, and I thought about my old 55 Buick I traded away for $10 to go on my mission eons ago. Oh, how I wish I had that car back (not that I could drive it or anything). Then "Old Days" (Chicago) with lyrics of "baseball cards and drive-in movies," something my kids will never get to experience. I thought about how grateful I was for youthful memories, and that I have wonderful parents who took us to drive-in movies. Then the song "On the Border" (Al Stewart) played, and I thought again on my daughter crossing the border in two days as she leaves for Canada to share the gospel.

A couple of basketball players came out into the hall to get a drink of water. I knew they would get thirsty again. I thought about living water provided by the Savior, which would cause one to never get thirsty again, but would be "a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4: 14).

As I approached the end of the hallway, I remembered cleaning that area the day after Sandy Hook, as pure, innocent children lost their lives. Although saddened by such a horrific
crime, this beautiful painting portrays the Savior holding a little child in His arms. I knew where those precious children were. They were "clasped in the arms of Jesus" (Mormon 5: 11). I was comforted by the Spirit at that tragic time, but I still get a little teary when I see that portrait.

Across the hall was our ward's missionary display--15 wonderful young elders and sisters (my dear daughter being the newest) who are scattered across the globe to share this supernal gospel message. These 15 ambassadors of Christ seemed to radiate through the sparkling glass just cleaned by another missionary parent, a missionary mom. Of course, now I'm crying just a tad harder, as I gaze upon the Canadian flag spread over the lap of my daughter. On each plaque is a photo and a favorite scripture chosen by the missionary. The scripture chosen by my daughter reads,

"And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things" (Jacob 5: 72).

How I knew it to be true! Whether one is serving as a full-time missionary or merely doing something as simple as cleaning a chapel, he or she is never alone.