The Mission

The Mission…should I choose to accept it…Replace both the toilet and vanity in the bathroom of a home that holds a family of six…in 36 hours or less…before company arrives.

Despite being a dire undertaking when potentially 6 people in a home all need to use the facilities all at the same time…I accepted the mission. Yes I know that it was just a generation prior, (my mother’s in particular), who had 9 children and two parents sharing one bathroom…with one sink…and one bathtub…and no shower. 

“Yeah Mom! I get it! Life was so hard when you were a kid!”

In a bit of irony, I think that it was likely that her mother did not have running water when she was a child.

In any case, this was the mission that I had accepted.  To prepare for the task ahead, I had gathered all of my supplies ahead of time, so that I would not need to go to the hardware store, and I could just attack the project first thing on Friday morning.  In fact, to be overly prepared for the mission, I had even ripped out the old vanity the night before…but not the toilet…that would be too risky. 

Friday morning arrived. I donned my rubber gloves, and went to work.  I removed the old nasty toilet, cleaned the nasty dirty flange, finished the wall boards, laid the new vinyl tiling, set the new toilet, fixed the leak on the toilet.  Then…I fixed the leak on the toilet, fixed the leak on the toilet, fixed the leak on the toilet, and finally fixed the leak on the toilet.

By the end of day one, my back hurt so bad that I had to have Sarah drag me to my bed.  I think that I fell asleep before the lights went out.

Saturday morning arrived, and it was time for the vanity.  Isaac and I hauled the heavy beast of a cabinet into the home where I cut out all of the holes in the back.  Then…I made all of the holes in the back bigger.

We set the vanity in place. Then…I made the holes in the back of the cabinet bigger yet.  It was at this time, that I began to work on the plumbing.  After not having enough of the right supplies, I went to the hardware store to get the pieces that I was missing.  I returned and began to assemble the plumbing.  Then…I went back to the hardware store to get the supplies that I was missing…then I went to another hardware store to get the supplies that the first hardware store did not have.

Finally, I returned home to finalize the installation…only to realize I was short one plastic elbow.  I sent Isaac to the store to get the final piece of the puzzle.  When he returned…I realized that I didn’t need the elbow. 

When all of the pieces were in place and secured tightly, I turned on the water and declared “Mission Accomplished.”

When a mission stands before us we must decide, “Will I accept the mission?”

When it comes to the Mission of Christ we are beckoned to join him.  The mission will be challenging. There will be times when we will feel ill equipped.  There may even be a day where it seems that we need someone to drag us to the next location.  But…the Mission of Christ…is WORTH IT!

The Mission of Christ is about so much more than mission trips and evangelism.  The Mission of Christ is a way of life.  This week…may we be reawakened to the Mission of Christ!