I was in an office building the other day for an appointment. As I was sitting
in the waiting room I watched several office workers hurry by. Their faces were
full of seriousness and worry and not a single one had a smile. Each of them
seemed full of stress and empty of joy. It saddened me to think that everyone of
them had just started their work day and would spend another seven hours in this
state.
It was then, however, that I noticed what had to be the happiest worker that I
had ever seen. This person was actually singing while she worked. She had a
smile for me, the others in the waiting room, and every other worker who passed
her way. Several of those serious, worried, and unhappy workers that I had seen
earlier, in fact, stopped to say hi to her. They soon were exchanging kind words
and gentle jokes with her as well. It was clear that she was the real heart of
this office building and not just the janitor who was mopping the floor.
This wise lady with a mop reminded me that it is not your work that makes you
happy and it is not the world that makes you happy. It is rather you who bring
joy to your work and you who make the world a happier place. God didn’t create
you to be miserable in this life. God brought you here to spread love and share
joy no matter what your circumstances may be.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote that you should be "a force of nature instead of
a feverish, selfish, little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the
world will not devote itself to making you happy." Let us all take his advice
then. Let us all follow the beautiful example of a wonderful janitor I know and
bring joy to our work, happiness to our world, and love to everyone around us.
Let us all be joyous forces of nature and loving Children of God working to
clean this world with our mops and to uplift this world with our smiles.
Joseph J. Mazzella joecool@wirefire.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.