Plugging Along

Hello friends, hope this finds you well and in good health.

I remember seeing this comic strip where an older man with a gut and grey hair saw a “hiring” sign at a fast food restaurant and thought it was a good opportunity. The theme of the strip was that he was a plugger — plugging along.

That must have been about 20 years ago it seems, but it stuck with me in my journey of plugging along myself. So much was said in that little one picture comic strip.

Our journey down here on God’s earth is full of plugging along moments; where our attitude and perspective really make the difference in the type of life we live.

Not everyone gets the glory or the recognition. Most of us just work in the shadows plugging along with our lives, trying to do the right thing, trying to keep our heads afloat in the waters of hustle and bustle.

I think what I liked about that comic strip was the humility of the cartoon character. His type is the bread and butter of society, the ones not too proud to do the things needed to get by the honest way.

Yeah, maybe working at a fast food joint isn’t helping society in some grand way, yet he was plugging a need, for the owner, for himself, and for his family. He was willing to do what it takes to get things done.

Pluggers don’t think they are better than anyone else, they are just working from a grateful mindset; they have a profitable perspective that allows them to see opportunity where others see nothing.

It sort of reminds me of when we were small children. The awe and wonder of life was fulfilling enough. We didn’t worry about what other people had, what we were missing out on, what great thing we could do to impress others — no, we were content playing with our toys and being alive. Before the indoctrination of life and the worries associated with it, our minds and hearts were very close to our Creator, and it was fulfilling in a way adults seem to miss most of the time.

I really appreciate the pluggers in life; the people who are content, grateful, and find joy in the small tasks in front of them.

Maybe their working days are over in the formal sense, but the work of life continues and they diligently continue to press in and plug along the best they can.

This sort of reminds me of the rabbit and the turtle story, where they race and the turtle ends up winning because he/she was a plugger and rabbit wasn’t. That’s what it came down to. The turtle might not have been impressive, but in the end he/she won the race.

I appreciate all the people who keep plugging along in life, doing the right thing. They aren’t worried about what other people are doing or what they might think, as they are content with what God has given them and willing to do the things that aren’t as glorious and exciting.

Most of adult life isn’t glorious and exciting, as you probably know. That doesn’t mean it isn’t meaningful and fulfilling, yet most people miss the point as they seek what they don’t have instead of being grateful for what they do have.

God, help us be content and grateful everyday of our lives. Help us see the meaning in the small tasks and mundane jobs we do to get by and keep afloat in the sea of life. And, help us appreciate others who are doing the same. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, amen.