An Attitude Adjustment

I'll admit...the poem I'm sharing today is actually meant for mom's.  For those of you that truly know the challenge of housekeeping AND child rearing. It seems like a married women with no children should have ZERO trouble keeping her house clean.  Sigh...I wish that were true.  We live on a dirt road in the country and raise goats.  This farm life keeps mud and dirt coming in my house at ALL times.

Recently I found myself overwhelmed quite regularly...always feeling like the WHOLE house needs clean and I never have a chunk of time big enough to do the WHOLE house.  This only gets worse when the summer produce is spilling out of my garden and my counter which is inevitably dirty is now also buried in produce.  (the produce should be a blessing...but often it causes a great deal of stress as there is limited time to put up the abundance before it spoils)

Anyway -- I've been working hard lately to pick one household cleaning chore a day (i.e. dusting, vacuuming, the kitchen, the bathrooms) and working to maintain something that vaguely resembles cleanliness on a continual basis rather than striving for an entire day with no commitments in which I can tackle the house in it's entirety...which...in the end...only stays spotless until the next time we do chores. :)

This poem reminded me that it's all about perspective and attitude...these things I call "chores" are really blessings.  How lucky am I to have a husband with laundry to do...and animals that I adore (who happen to be dirty)...and rain to grow my garden (which results in mud)...and a beautiful view (which happens to be at the end of a dirt road).  I felt others of us struggling to maintain balance and sanity at times might also need this reminder.

Thank You

Dear Lord, Your Word says ‘don’t complain; I know that this is true.
But when it comes to housework or chores I don’t want to do,
It’s easy to resent the things to which I must give time.
“Taking up my cross” isn’t always what I have in mind.

But Lord, You have been teaching me to see the way You see,
To realize that household tasks are blessings You gave me.
And so, I choose to give You thanks for all I have to do,
Knowing that the privilege of doing it’s from You.

Thank You for the laundry dropped in piles upon the floor,
And for the dirty pairs of shoes left right inside the door.
Thank You for the shirts and socks and coats flung everywhere,
For OxiClean and Shout and Tide—it means we’ve clothes to wear.

Dirty cups and dishes clutter countertops and sink.
I sure hope no one’s hungry; I hope no one needs a drink.
If it could all just wash itself, it would be such a treat.
But thanks for dirty dishes, too—it means we’ve food to eat.

Thank You for the sink and floor and toilet I must scrub.
Thank You for the shower; thank You for the tub.
Thank You for the mirror and wet towels I know are coming.
Thank You for this bathroom; it means we’ve indoor plumbing.

The messiness of games and toys and books covers our floors.
And did I mention dolls and blocks and drawings taped on doors?
Sometimes, I think I’ve seen my fill of Hot Wheels, Legos, bibs.
But thank You for this chaos—it means I have four kids.

My front yard isn’t landscaped. It isn’t even mown.
It’s filled with plastic toys and shovels—things that aren’t my own.
It sure won’t win “Yard of the Month”, but I don’t need that anyway.
I thank You for my lived-in yard—my kids have space to play.

There’s so much work I must get done. I do it all, and then
An hour later, it’s a mess, and must be done again.
But Lord, I thank You for the time that I can’t call my own,
The time spent serving others. It means I have a home.

Oh, forgive me, Lord, for asking You for blessings great and small,
Then complaining when I have to clean or take care of them all.
Oh, Lord, the very fact that I always have much to do
Is not a cause for bitterness, but for giving thanks to You.

I see now that every chore I have to do reflects Your grace
In blessing me with earthly things until I see Your face.
May I do my work with gratitude for the opportunity,
Seeing in it a chance for joy, and not mere drudgery.

My heart responds in thankfulness for all that You have given.
I’ll serve You by taking care of it ’til You call me to heaven.
And may I serve in such a way that the world sees Your dear Son
In my heart and hands and words and work, that to Him, they be won.

Stumbling Into Refreshment

We whistle at our kids and pets to get their attention, teachers might clap their hands to call attention to the front of the room, sirens get our intention in times of emergency, timers and buzzes on our ovens alert us to when food is ready...all examples of how easy it is for us to get a little caught up in ourselves and our own little world, until something catches our attention.  In fact -- I'm the queen of busy and I rely on all kinds of alarms and attention getters every day to remind myself what I need to be focusing on at that given moment.

All too often -- this business has us going, going, going with little focus on God.  At times it's a little stumble that draws our focus back to God.  I've come to appreciate these chances to slow down, check my heart, and spend some time with God.  Kind of like restarting our computers after an update.

I had a little stumble yesterday when a new friend said some harsh and inaccurate things about me...and it stung just a bit.  In fact it ruled over my thoughts most of the day yesterday.  I didn't understand why anyone could think or would say such things about me.  In the end it's a total misunderstanding and mostly due to the fact that this person doesn't know me very well yet.  Still...why was I so caught off guard by it?

Do I think I'm perfect? No, I most certainly know that I'm not.  Do I think this person is perfect?  No, I know that isn't true either.  Should my faith be in man?  Absolutely not!  Time and time again, we put faith in man and are disappointed.

God word tells us in Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Now can we really go about our lives NOT trusting ANYONE?  No, that's not realistic.  We trust others everyday.  We trust caregivers to watch over our children, we trust bus drivers and pilots to get us safely to our destination, restaurant workers to prepare and handle our food safely, we trust the bank to accurately deposit our paychecks etc.    The point isn't to stop trusting others but it is to remind us in WHOM our ultimate trust should lie.  And not to despair when we have a little stumble.  All of us need a little reminder now and then to shift our focus back on Christ and to rely on him alone.
Do the words about me yesterday still sting?  Yes, but I know that God knows my heart and that little stumble yesterday resulted in some refreshing time spent with God last night and this morning taking time out from my "busy work" to soak up His truths and His promises.  I hope these little hiccups in your life might do the same for you.

Here is a song I sang on Sunday with one of our team members.  We were both a little surprised to hear the congregation singing with us right from the beginning...which says to me...we know these words to be TRUE indeed:
Lord I need you oh I need you, every hour I need you.  My one defense my righteousness, oh God how I need you.

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