Trying to be a Christ-like Dishwasher

I find myself, at times, struggling with my anger and my unhappiness. I am human, after all, and human emotions come pre-assembled in the packaging. I feel like I am doing a great job for the most part, but when things that I put real work into doing are turned upside down, it does more than get on my nerves.

Take, for example, washing the dishes.

In my house, I do it more often than not. I have never had a problem with doing the dishes inasmuch as doing the dishes 3 times a day. I get very unhappy when my family decides to wait until after I have completed the dishes to bring the ones that they had been collecting in their respective rooms into the kitchen to sit and fester in the sink. It isn't difficult to bring them to me while I am doing the dishes, is it? I suppose I could also simply just ask them if they have a bowl or plate that has had that same left over chicken and rice on it for a week that I might be able to clean up, but our family is strong on not advocating babysitting people over the age of 18, which everyone in the house is. Thinking about it, it really is kind of silly to get so absolutely livid over something like this, but I am certain that every man, woman, and child on this planet has something, even if that thing is miniscule, that gets under their skin.

I think Christians (and other religious people) should understand best what it is like to be angry or unhappy or sad. For those of us who know Jesus and love him, it is more than disheartening when some makes fun of us for our beliefs, or discriminates against us for worshipping. Many people don't know Jesus like we do, or have no desire to understand him through God's Word. We may try our best to not show it, but it is obvious that when people speak of Jesus and Christianity in a negative light, it hurts us to our deepest core.

I like to simply think of people like that as a test from God, a sort of pop quiz to see if we can remain steadfast in our passion for following and understanding and witnessing for Him. I have no problem welcoming those who believe opposite of I and who want to shame me for believing. They are why I believe we are here. We share the Gospel, so that others may see at least a fraction of what a relationship with Jesus can look like. So really, people who confront and attack us and make us sad or angry with their words or actions are not necessarily a bad thing.

So maybe, when I am doing the dishes, I should just roll up my sleeves and smile.