The Quiet Voice

I slowly climb up the ladder, reaching my foot around to step on the unsteady roof. The can of sealant paint in one hand, and an old brush in another.

I cautiously cross across the hot clay roof, searching for cracks and sealing paint over bolts to prevent leaks. The sun is beating down on my neck and back, and I can't help but think that I will be bright red tonight. A group of people sing in the distance, and although I can't make out the words, something tells me that it's a church group. 

Two nuns walk by, followed by a man carrying a wheelbarrow to the house next door. Across the street, a child is helping his father fix a window, and in the yard down by the house, the children are outside playing. 

My feet are burning from the hot roof, and my forehead drips sweat...

I rely on God to give me Joy through this work, thinking back to Mother Theresa saying that she could not go 30 seconds without praying. I think of all the good that this work will bring...how something as small as sealing a roof can have so grand of an impact...how our small actions can produce huge results with the help of the Creator.

The quiet voice of my Theology professor from the fall gently nudges my conscience..."I absolutely love doing dishes...it's one of the few things I do where I can see the results of my work." And as I look back across the roof, I notice all the work that I've done so far...the numerous bolts covered in a thick black coat. I remember the class when I told her, "We need to find Joy in the little progress that we make instead of waiting for the huge progress."

And I have Peace. I have Joy. I have Gratitude...

...until I come to a bolt that has been previously sealed, yet still has holes in it. Someone has done this before and their work did not prove fruitful. And I begin to question whether my results will have any results.

And the response of that same woman of God pierces straight through my doubt: "Yes, Jake, but what if there is no progress at all? What if our actions don't have any positive results? We need to find Joy in the action itself, not in the results."

And as I continue to seal the roof, as I look out and see all the other people working, a smile gleams across my face, for if we can find Joy in the action itself, than all work will be fruitful. 

And now, two hours later, as I sit on the couch, l hear the pouring rain and thunder, and that same smile comes back across my face.

And the work continues to produce Joy, Peace, and Gratitude.