She wakes up early, makes coffee for herself and her husband (which she drinks alone after he has gone to work), makes breakfast for her children, cleans up breakfast, takes the dog out, cleans the house, dresses the children, does homeschool, makes lunch, cleans up lunch, cleans the house, fixes and repairs the house, maintains the yard, prepares dinner, cleans up dinner, cleans the house (yet again), gets her children ready for bed, puts them to bed, and spends time with her husband before going to bed- to get up and do it all over again.
Oh- and she squeezes in many other things- going grocery shopping, running errands, taking in the car for repair or maintenance, taking out the trash, going to the post office, paying the bills, visiting their parents, visiting friends, entertaining planned or last-minute visitors, hosting people in their home, preparing food for social events regularly, exercising, showing hospitality to those who are sick or alone, taking herself and her kids to the doctor (planned or unplanned), and staying in touch with her friends.
On top of all this she loves the Lord, and it is clear that she wants nothing else but to serve Him faithfully each day by showing His kind of love to those she comes in contact with.
This inspires me. Well ok, first of all it EXHAUSTS me just reading about it! But honestly, as I go about my day grumbling about this and that, the testimony above convicts me and causes me to ask
"To what end am I going about my day? Am I in this (life) to please myself?"
You see, one of my problems is that I have a husband who is SO willing to help- he has always been wired this way, ever since he was young. His father stepped out of their home, and so my husband and his siblings stepped up (like it or not) into roles of responsibility at a young age. And they saw the fruits of it! It was not just work, it was loving on your loved ones! He has brought that into our marriage.
Wait, WHY is that a problem?! :) Well, the problem is of course in my heart. Because he has been so inclined to help when I ask him to, it has created in me the temptation to EXPECT him to do certain things around the house. This expectation has fostered a discontent spirit when he does not do those things. This of course is not his problem. It is mine. (Well and my other problem is that I'm somewhat useless- I don't know how to do much by way of fixing things. Or keeping plants alive. My children I've managed to keep alive so far though... hehe)
The testimony of the woman above inspires me to fight against this wrong expectation and be pleased with the duty the Lord has given me graciously. Yes, graciously! I wanted to be a wife, and He allowed me to be a wife! :) I wanted to be a mother, and He allowed me to be a mother! :) Sometimes I've wondered in the midst of this, "So what is my role?" Well.... to be a wife and a mother. It just isn't more complicated than that. So what am I fighting against?!
My greatest joy should be loving on those whom I love. The evil one would see me discontent. He would remind me how much the garbage stinks, and how perpetually the dishes are dirty, and how often the floor gets dirty, and how great the food is that I don't have in my kitchen... etc.
The woman above is not perfect. In fact she would be the first to say what a grumbler she can be. (She's probably grumbling that I wrote this too...) (Sorry...) (Not really...) But all of us, His Daughters (!), are facing these same issues: the monotony of our work in the home, and the struggle within our hearts as we strive after His heart. This is true whether we are in the suburbs, or in the city, or in the jungle!. Let us encourage one another with love and good deeds, as He says in His Word!
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