Daily Devotional for October 24

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October 24                                                 Matthew 11:25-30

When a trio of church workers tore away old carpet to make
way for new, they found a bigger task awaited them. To their
surprise, beneath the worn carpet lay tile. It was not just any
tile. Years ago, thousands of one-inch ceramic squares with
paper backing had been securely glued onto concrete.

The threesome's job appeared monumental. Thousands of one-
inch squares had to be uprooted. Thousands of hammer strokes
and thousands of beads of sweat would have to fall before the
carpet could be laid.

Ruth brought her hammers and chisels. Roger and Oarrell
squatted at her side. And the chipping began. Church members
busy with other remodeling tasks were skeptical. The skep-
ticism grew as they saw how slowly the first tiles chipped
away.

Three hammers tapped against three chisels held by three ordi-
nary people. The trio - a telephone operator, a waiter, and
a clerk - chatted as the chipping continued. For hours, it
sounded throughout the church. For hours, other workers
shook their heads in dismay as they walked by the squatting trio.

Still, Ruth, Roger, and Oarrell chipped. Their sweat fell and
their bruised fingers bled. They talked of families, romances,
vacations, and the finished work. And they chipped.

By evening, thousands of one-inch tiles lay piled in a corner
of the church. The work was done, completed well in time
for the carpet layers. Other church workers looked at the
finished job in amazement.

"Rainwater must have loosened the glue," one ventured. "Big
hammers, maybe," another said. The pastor remarked, "They
worked consistently. Not fast, just steadily."

Ruth, Roger, and Oarrell simply thanked God the job was done.
God never promised them or us an easy task. Our job is just
to keep on with the chipping.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989