Sometimes (most times) my house gets neglected. The dishes pile up, the floors go unswept, the laundry sits in piles and I try my hardest not to be home, just so I can avoid the piles of things to sort, filter and file.
Today the neglect is showing. My poor house. I look around and wonder... who is the crazy family that lives here? Seriously, what monkey ate bananas in the living room and then left the peels on the coffee table, right next to someones stinky socks and the slimy dog bowl?
Who decided that it was a good idea to stack the books on the couch, and the table, and the floor, and the... everywhere else but the bookshelf?
What exactly is it that the children are doing? Shouldn't they be doing school work? They've built a pretty impressive tower from MagnaTiles, but now they are filling it with red LEGOS? Like that won't make a mess the moment the tower fails!
Then there is the dog... the sleeping dog in the middle of the living room, WEARING PAJAMAS? Why? Oh, I see now. The dog has a disgusting wound that won't stop leaking all over the carpet, so the mother of the home decided to make the best attempt possible to keep a covering over it just so she can keep the last whiff of her SANITY?! Yes, very logical.
And then there is the kitchen. Hmmm. I see why this family must eat out tonight... where is the stove?
But at least she has a bouquet of flowers on the table! I mean, they distract really nicely from the huge piles of books, crayons, markers, craft supplies and who knows what else is scattered on the table top not to mention the rest of the chaos of the house. I barely noticed the mess with these flowers on the table! RIGHT?
That is exactly what I will keep telling myself. This is why I will continue to purchase myself a bouquet of flowers at Aldi every time I go grocery shopping. It is well worth the $4 sacrifice to have something beautiful in the middle of my mess, something to inspire me to keep moving forward. Just like the children, yes, they are probably going to make an even larger disaster of the living room the moment that tower comes crashing to the floor, and I will probably assist again (for the 10th time today) in picking up the mess, just so we can move on to the next event in our lives, but they are playing nicely and really working together... beautifully.
Now, don't get me wrong. I confess,
I decide to live this way sometimes. I get way to busy with other things,
projects, people/animals and I let my house suffer and sometimes other
important things in my life. I take on more than I can handle sometimes,
but out of everything I have to neglect, my house can take it... it will
forgive me... someday it will be clean again. It might be when we move
out, or when my kids are grown and are no longer the focus of my day, but
someday things will be in order, someday I might look like I have it all
together.
Until then, I will just continue to get
by, enjoy my $4 flowers, and keep loving my family the best way I know how and
keep praying that God will give me the ability to see those in front of me,
those that mean so much to me, and what direction He is sending me, even if I
can't see over the piles of stuff to get where I need to be going! Thank
you Lord for your love, your strength and your grace, even when my life is a
mess, for you are the calm in the middle of the storm, that provides me a
moment of rest. You can help me find my peace, even in this chaos.
Amen.
This song, by Sidewalk Prophets-
Help Me Find
it spoke to me today. I
hope it draws you closer to our creator and helps you have some peace in your
day.
