Confessions of a Disparate Housewife
I admit it. I know that I should be doing everything as unto the Lord…
Colossians 3:17 & 23 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."
I really must confess, however ungodly it sounds, that I HATE HOUSEWORK!!! I don’t consider myself to be lazy. I work very hard (maybe too hard) on the pursuits that interest me. I enjoy spending time playing with my family, working on my career, cultivating relationships with people whose company I enjoy. And I don’t mean to complain. Really.
It’s just that I can never FINISH any of my household tasks. The laundry will never be totally finished, as long as we are wearing clothes. There is always one more meal being eaten on those dishes. The dust resettles on the furniture in one room just as I finish dusting the previous room. The fingerprints are all over the place. I can’t check ANY of it off my to-do list because it is NEVER DONE!!
The disparity in this discontented housewife is even more pronounced, when I think of how God views the UNFINISHED PROJECT of my life. He hears my cries of repentance, forgives my sin and washes me clean, then I go right ahead and make the same mistakes again before He even gets finished vacuuming the hallway of my heart. Doesn’t he get weary of my disparate humanity. I say one thing and do another. I can know and understand His Holy Word with my head, yet my heart can be so very far from Him.
Where is the hope for this disparate housewife?
The 17th chapter of the Book of John describes the finished work. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth with a “to-do” list. Jesus was to teach us about the kingdom of God, and do everything the Father told Him “to do” - including the “to-do” of taking all our sins upon himself and dying on a Roman cross. He finished the work. There’s hope for me. When my menial labor on this earth is complete, I will go to the dwelling place that He has prepared for me in heaven. Until then, He sends the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to gently remind me of the blessings inherent in the repetitive, mundane tasks I despise.
As I stomp moodily through my day, he whispers of the people living in third world nations, and even in my own country, who would give their right arm to have a house of their own to clean. Every load of laundry represents the blessing of clothes on my back. Come to think of it, my dusty bed is a lot better than a dirt floor. Even the perpetually annoying little sticky hand prints all over everything represent the wonderful children that live in and visit my home every day.
Thank you, Lord, for the laundry, the dishes, the dusting, the messy family. And thank you, Jesus, for getting it all done for me.
Anne Miranda,
Associate
India International Church
Colossians 3:17 & 23 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."
I really must confess, however ungodly it sounds, that I HATE HOUSEWORK!!! I don’t consider myself to be lazy. I work very hard (maybe too hard) on the pursuits that interest me. I enjoy spending time playing with my family, working on my career, cultivating relationships with people whose company I enjoy. And I don’t mean to complain. Really.
It’s just that I can never FINISH any of my household tasks. The laundry will never be totally finished, as long as we are wearing clothes. There is always one more meal being eaten on those dishes. The dust resettles on the furniture in one room just as I finish dusting the previous room. The fingerprints are all over the place. I can’t check ANY of it off my to-do list because it is NEVER DONE!!
The disparity in this discontented housewife is even more pronounced, when I think of how God views the UNFINISHED PROJECT of my life. He hears my cries of repentance, forgives my sin and washes me clean, then I go right ahead and make the same mistakes again before He even gets finished vacuuming the hallway of my heart. Doesn’t he get weary of my disparate humanity. I say one thing and do another. I can know and understand His Holy Word with my head, yet my heart can be so very far from Him.
Where is the hope for this disparate housewife?
The 17th chapter of the Book of John describes the finished work. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to earth with a “to-do” list. Jesus was to teach us about the kingdom of God, and do everything the Father told Him “to do” - including the “to-do” of taking all our sins upon himself and dying on a Roman cross. He finished the work. There’s hope for me. When my menial labor on this earth is complete, I will go to the dwelling place that He has prepared for me in heaven. Until then, He sends the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to gently remind me of the blessings inherent in the repetitive, mundane tasks I despise.
As I stomp moodily through my day, he whispers of the people living in third world nations, and even in my own country, who would give their right arm to have a house of their own to clean. Every load of laundry represents the blessing of clothes on my back. Come to think of it, my dusty bed is a lot better than a dirt floor. Even the perpetually annoying little sticky hand prints all over everything represent the wonderful children that live in and visit my home every day.
Thank you, Lord, for the laundry, the dishes, the dusting, the messy family. And thank you, Jesus, for getting it all done for me.
Anne Miranda,
Associate
India International Church
posted by Danesh Manik | 10:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home