They're silently waiting for me

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I struggle with washing the dishes. It is a battle that is fought and lost on two fronts: emotional and physical.

The emotional part is owing to the fact that I don't have a dishwasher and the dishes multiply like rabbits and are a continual eye sore on the side of the sink. 

In spite of cleaning them up and being rewarded by not only an empty sink and benches and of course, clean dishes- I find the complete futility of feeling done with them is disheartening.

A terrible procrastinator, I promise myself that I will keep up with them, but illness laughs as it assails me with yet another flare, and they remain on the bench mocking me for being  defeated yet again.

So here comes the other side of this domestic dilemma: being completely out of spoons and suffering from broken knees and collapsing spine. I simply cannot stand.

And of course that horridly wicked ruler, Fibromyalgia ensures that I am in an almost constant flare, and it is the cherry on the top of my cocktail of pain. So not only is my physical health attacked, but also my mental health. It's depressing.

I know I could ask Chris for help, but he has heart failure and battles his own health issues. It has always been me who washes the dishes, and then he will usually come and dry them and put them away. I am grateful.

Until I can gather some spoons I will sit and wait for my Tramadol to work. I plan to clear the dishes up, cook some steak and vegetables for dinner tonight and rest. That's the plan. Meanwhile, they're silently waiting for me.

His plans are for our future and hope.

It is said that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. I believe that is true. As wives and mothers we can get so involved with taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves. We need to take time to smell the roses and we need to watch our children at play and learn to play again. 

Adulthood shouldn't be the end of play and laughter. The scriptures teach us that a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken Proverbs 15:13 It is hard to be cheerful some days and certainly work overload can break one's spirit- if we let it. I have found that a smile actually promotes a cheerful spirit and gets a positive response. 

So how does one create a cheerful enough spirit to raise a smile? I believe it is by a few things: 

 1) The Psalms and Ephesians tell us to develop an attitude of gratitude. Just thank God continually with songs of praise and thanks. Start to see beyond the nappies and try to catch a glimpse of the beauty of motherhood. There are many many women who long to be mothers- that's a reason to be thankful.

2) Develop a plan to organise your home and life into manageable portions so as not to become overwhelmed. Don't procrastinate around the home but roll up your sleeves and get going and do it! Nothing robs us of joy like procrastination! And get your work done as quickly as you can and as well as you can in order to do the things you like to do- I love to surf the Net and write. Whatever it is that you enjoy, get your work out of the way and then enjoy yourself. 

3) When you work- work hard! When you play- play hard! But don't play when you work and don't work when you play! Just get your work done and then have a ball! Just enjoy doing what you love to do and don't feel guilty- God doesn't make us feel guilty- we make ourselves feel guilty! We must remember we must live our lives in balance: relaxation and enjoyment are a part of that balance! 

Enjoyment of life is critical to giving the best of yourself to your husband, your children, and your friends. Of all the species on earth, we are just about the only ones to forget to play daily. Unless you take time to recharge your batteries, even your relationship with God will become stale through depression! 

4) Try to think of those things that are positive, praiseworthy, pure and think only of those things. Phil ippians 4:8 Remember that all we have is today- don't worry about yesterday, do your best today, and leave tomorrow in God's Hands. God has given His Word: His plans are for our future and hope.

 © Glenys Robyn Hicks

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

The fairy godmother's gotten old!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a fairy godmother who waved her magic wand and transformed our homes into pristine havens that required no upkeep from us? Then we could do that which we really loved to do without feeling at all guilty.

Some of us tend to live our lives sipping coffee amidst dirty laundry and dust and mess, as if we are expecting her arrival anytime- ready to bail us out of our mess at the flick of a wrist. The family is unhappy with us and we are overwhelmed with chores that have banked up. And there is more bad news- the fairy godmother’s not coming! Well, she might if we are able to afford a maid, but for the majority of us, a maid is a luxury we can’t afford. We are IT!

Over the years, I have found that I have procrastinated about housework so much that I have spent more time planning how to simplify it, organise it and pardon the pun- sanitise it, than if I had just rolled up my sleeves and got on with it. It would have been done sooner and I would have been able to enjoy my leisure time more than I did with my parrot on the shoulder telling me that the work still hadn’t been done! Wisdom through life experience and hindsight has taught me to do that which I don’t enjoy first then relax. It is almost impossible to relax when you have chores that are calling out your name!

God has called us to be domestic- to be the keepers of our home. Whilst it is important that we don’t eat the bread of idleness, I don’t think that He intends us to have no other pursuits in life other than housework. There has to be a balance. The woman who alphabetises her spices and has cupboards that are washed out every week is as unbalanced as the woman who can’t find a clean shirt for her husband or a clean cup to drink from.

I believe the Christian woman has to ensure that her home is clean, her family’s clothes are washed and ironed and that meals are on time and nutritious. She doesn’t have to fret that her home is not like Home Beautiful- but her home should be welcoming to her friends and nurturing to her family. That’s what Home is all about.

If the home is reasonably clean and her husband is contented and her children happy, then I feel that is all that is required of her. It takes effort, discipline and diligence to see that these things are attended to, and it is the wife’s task, for she is Keeper of The Home.

The Christian wife sets the temper of the home and it is her godly responsibility to be domestic. It is her calling and hers alone- she must look after her home with or without help and sick or not, for unfortunately, the fairy godmother’s gotten old and she's not coming!

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10