Photo Credit: Dean Terry via Compfight cc
So I’m not sure this chapter was particularly encouraging but it is a good reminder. It’s just the law of nature that things tend toward disorder. Part of the tragedy of a fallen world. This is why so much of our work as moms and home managers seems so futile, it is all only temporary.
That being said, I appreciate that Sara highlights that work is not a curse. That’s right, work isn’t a bad and terrible thing. But the hard part about the imperfect world we live in is that much of our work is unproductive. That is the real curse. It also describes motherhood so perfectly. Most of my time is spent doing things that will have to be redone again, sometimes in days other times in hours. The worst is when a task takes longer to complete than it actually stays done. (Cleaning the kitchen floor anyone?)
Mary Challenge
Read Romans 8: 20-21 – What is the hope in the midst of the curse?
Well, I get that we have the future hope of heaven, but honestly hoping for death or the return of Christ is not particularly useful when you just want to get through the laundry. However, I think some of the hope within the curse is that we can pray for insight and still find peace. Sometimes we need the wisdom to recognize which tasks don’t really matter or learn to be at peace with leaving some things undone. This has been a huge struggle for me I the past. If I wait for the work to be done before I rest, it will never be done. So I need to practice regular rest, even if that means leaving tasks undone. But to do that successfully, I must have the ability to set aside my undone work and not obsess over it. No easy task.
Martha Challenge
Clean out and organize your pantry.
Ahh, my dreaded pantry. What our pantry really needs is a curtain because right now it is open to the kitchen, right behind the kitchen table. So my kids think it is a giant buffet. I need to get it better organized so that things don’t tumble down on me and perhaps keep the snacks a little more out of view.
Accepting that it will never all be finished and most of our work will need to be done again isn’t easy. But learning to do that may be the key to finding peace in the daily grind.
31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way
Created to Give Life: 31 Days to Clean
10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home: 31 Days to Clean
A Place to Put Your Feet Up: 31 Days to Clean
