“Keeping our nose to the grindstone”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Matthew 24:45-51 (Forward, p. 47) CEV p. 1016

So, what is the origin of this often used, rather colloquial phrase?  One source has that it came from the practice of medieval millers who, when grinding grain using old-fashioned stone millstones, would keep their faces close to the grinding surfaces to make sure that they weren’t overheating (which would then spoil the grain).  And so, over the ages, the expression came to mean attentiveness to detail and attentiveness to the task and just plain hard, diligent work.

It is that very thing that Jesus is espousing in today’s passage.  He is saying that each of us, each Christian, has been assigned a divinely appointed task, and that each of us should diligently and consistently apply ourselves to that task.  Jesus is addressing what would later become a very real problem (addressed in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) where certain believers, expecting that Jesus would return at any moment, left off their everyday endeavours and just sat around waiting for His coming and sponging off everyone else in the meantime.

And, sad to say, this has not been an isolated incident, but has occurred repeatedly over the centuries and continues to happen even today.  Indeed, this is the idea behind those who have decided not to bother trying to make a difference in our world and improve things, the people who have the notion that our world is ‘going to hell in a handbasket’ and Jesus will return at any moment to set things right, so why bother.  But, as the apostle Paul says, we should not be weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9-10): ‘Don’t get tired of helping others.  You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up.  We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.”  So, we should keep on, keeping on, keeping on with our ‘noses to the grindstone’, because even if the time is short (and especially if it is), we should do all that we can to make the best of the time remaining.  Amen.

Forward notes: “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives” (verse 46).

“Growing up, the month of December was often marked by how hard my mother worked and how much we children played.  Although my father was in the picture too, it was my mother who made the magic of the holiday season happen.  She wrapped all the presents.  She stayed up late on Christmas Eve, prepping homemade cinnamon rolls we ate in the morning. She slayed big-chain giants in suburban shopping malls across the city in order to put a few favorite gifts under the Christmas tree. 

“In a sense, she is the blessed servant whom the master will find at work, the one who will continue to serve her little heart out because this is how she expresses her love and how she receives love in return. 

“Now, when my family travels north to visit Gaga and Papa, I turn the tables.  In recognizing how she worked for me, and really, ultimately, for God, I now do that work on her behalf.  And still, I have no doubt the Master calls her blessed.”

Moving Forward: “When you think of an ultimate servant, who comes to your mind?  Drop a special card in the mail telling them this very thing.”