Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Where is Mike Rowe when you need him?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this character I speak of, Mike Rowe is the host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs". I have spent a respectable amount of time watching his episodes and cringing as I watch him crawl into sewage pipes, play in animal excrement and manually cause a snake to divulge its latest meal. Sure, these are the jobs you never see or think about, but Mike, what about the obvious ?!

Day shift servers are responsible for all their side duties. This includes : Scraping plates, Washing dishes, Running and sorting the silverware and keeping messes caused by children (whose favorite past time is to explode) to a small 4x4 area, tops.

I would have to say the most damage occurs in the dish room (props you warriors of waste, who make this room your home). However fortunate for me, I am not responsible for the dishes during the prime hours of mayhem. 

Day shift, although, is a different story. 

Aprons, latex gloves, heck, let's break out the splash shield and bio hazard suit. Even those can't protect you from the ketchup splatters, gunked on BBQ sauce or the soggy, dressing drenched lettuce leaves. If that doesn't get you, the ramekin water will.

 Servers love throwing dirty ramekins and slobbery silverware with no consideration  for other servers or dishwashers that are crammed together in this small steamy space. It's not the danger of getting stabbed by a steak knife that you have to worry about. No, no, no my friend. Beware of the blue, chemically infused ramekin water. Looking like the remains of a blue smoothie turned sour in the stomach of an unsuspecting child, this liquid has the capability of zeroing in and targeting your most vulnerable and precious assets : the eyes and mouth 

Oh yeah, that tastes good. A compilation of 75 guests, octuple dipped, dipping sauces mixed with saliva and some disinfectant for good measure.

By the time the front doors are locked,  and the lights are closed, we are nothing but exhausted shells of the humans that we were just six hours ago, with a thin glaze of everything edible coating our clothing and skin.

So, all this brings me to my point and title. If cleanliness is next to Godliness (Please do not take this saying as direct scripture; Many sayings, such as this one are supported by the essence of certain passages , but over the years have been mistaken as verbatim excerpts.) and my job loans itself to be so dirty, am I stuck working in my own hell?

I find this a little extreme as you may have as well, but it made me laugh to think of this possibility. One of the servers greets me most every day by saying, in the most malevolent voice that she can muster, "Welcome to hell". Maybe this girl is on to something.

I rather enjoy my job (on most days) and believe that God has placed me there for the time being. For what purpose, I don't know. If I have to wear ketchup for His glory and pleasure, so be it. Some days it may feel like I am working in hell's kitchen , but at least I can always go home and shower and practice my Godliness from beneath my covers.

 AMEN !