Never, ever do I actually finish that list in a day.
If you're honest, you probably don't either.
Looking back on all the times I've winked at the dirty floors and slipped under the covers instead, the heavy weight of wondering was always mixed with the aching heaviness of my eyelids. I have good days. There's a lot of good days, actually, but then there's the unexpected, unexplainable stuff that shows up and ruins everything. (E-v-e-r-y-t-h-a-n-g. )
**For instance: Yesterday, I fantasized all morning about getting to empty the trashcan.**
Falling asleep, hoping to have done enough, been enough to technically be "successful", my mind wanders back to the morning devotions that Mom always led before we started homeschool for the day.
She kept a handwritten paragraph in her Bible, on an index card. I can't quote it by heart, but we heard it often enough to remember the jist. "What great contentment I have, when I finally lay my head on the pillow at night and can honestly say from my heart; "Lord, I've done my best to make life a little better for my fellow men."
That's the measure. That's what she lives by.
Looking into the baby's eyes when she's crying and seeing more than "an interruption" is success. Giving full attention; a long hug; a soft answer - in the middle of the chaos - that's success.
Someday the floors will rot and need replacing.
Errands will always need to be run again.
Dust doesn't respect good intentions.
They don't hold success.
Small, soft hearts do.
Tender, young minds do.
The Bible says to "guide the house" - it's part of our commission as married women, (and shouldn't be taken lightly.) Making sure your house is a place of order and refuge is a big deal to God if He put it in His Bible: But it also says over and over to "Love one another" and "Train up a child in the way it should go." One of my favorite verses for those "Taking the trash out by the skin of my teeth" times is: "Let us not grow weary in well doing.."
In summary: Success is in giving out with grace, when it's not a good time to do it. Over and over...and over and over...
So tonight, if you tuck your littles in bed and feel the tracked-in grit under your bare feet...relax. Their happiness and security is more important. Someday you'll have all the time in the world to have all the "T's crossed." By then, you'll also be loving the benefits of investing in the happiness of your man and babies FIRST. Never underestimate the rewards of doing that.
**Ps. This was a requested post. Is there something that you would just LOVE to read a post about? Go ahead and leave me a comment.**
2 comments:
She’s so adorable!!!!! Have you done a post on your courtship story?
Thank you!! She brightens up everyday 😁
I’ll get to work on that one for ya! Thanks for the suggestion!
Post a Comment