I know, I know. No one likes housework. Well, some do, but that’s another issue.
But my problem isn’t that I don’t like housework. It’s that I constantly struggle being content while doing, well, housework.
I was asked again this week, “Becky, you do so much! How do you get it all done?” Photography, writing, acting, teaching… the answer is easy. I love doing anything that keeps me away from what I’m supposed to be doing! Which is, namely, housework!
Need a script edited? The dishes can wait. Lee calls and needs something put together for a bid? The laundry sits in baskets. Want the photos uploaded from our recent event together? I’ll get right on it… the kitchen floor can be swept later. You posted something really funny about your toddler on facebook? Ok! I’ll watch it!
I keep my house in a picked-up state that always borders on the brink of explosion. And when something massive, like VBS or a large birthday party, hits the schedule, it blows up!
It will recover, it will. We have a routine where we all divide and conquer and put everything back in its place.
But here’s what I want to master: Contentment while doing dishes. Contentment while folding laundry. Contentment while straightening what I just straightened an hour ago! I want peace that lasts, not just a verse that gets me through the momentary “trial” of LEGOs all over the family room.
Last night while doing dishes, I pretended I was at a spa, and the warm water was like a relaxing soak of bubbles. It’s nice having an imagination.
But tonight, instead of straightening up (again) while the kids are sleeping, I edited a script for church and blogged.
The housework will always be there. I’m working on a balance of getting stuff done (which I enjoy) and keeping a well-maintained house. But at the end, when the home is about to go “kabang!” I want to clean with a happy heart.
The same thing I expect out of my kids.
I’m praying for it! And every “cleaning day” I pray, “Lord, get me through this without yelling at my kids and biting everyone’s head off.” He’s faithful to answer.
I just wish it weren’t always a fight. Between me and my selfish disdain for the mundane.
Becky, I know the feeling! I think dishes are my worst issue, then putting up laundry. I don’t mind doing it, just don’t like putting it up..lol I’m in search for balance too. I try and get most of my housework done in the morning or at least going before I go onto anything else. That has helped me a bit. Still a work in progress. I’ll be praying for you 🙂 Hope your day is a good one!
Becky, I think most of us struggle with doing the mundane things in life. It is so much easier, and more fun to do the things that bring us joy. It takes a certain amount of discipline in ones life to keep up with the mundane. But remember… the Lego’s will not always be with you. Your children, those happy little mess makers, will be gone before you know it. And even with them out of the house the mundane things of life, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills, will still be with you. That’s why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Becky, I understand your struggle!! I read a quote somewhere that the important gets sacrificed at the altar of the urgent- I feel like that is the daily struggle of my life! I want to do the “deeper” tasks in my house. . .cleaning out the craft supplies, reorganizing the kitchen cabinets, putting the christmas decorations in the crawlspace (yeah, they aren’t there yet- just piled in boxes by the washer and dryer!). You know, the tasks that make your house run more efficiently and your space more organized and peaceful. Not to mention the fun things- like gardening, playing tag with the kids, watching a movie! But the dishes, floor and laundry are constantly cycling from clean to dirty and back again AAAHHH!!! Honestly, it sounds like you are doing a good thing- putting aside the “urgency” of the housework to focus on what really matters- art, teaching, creativity, prayer, reaching out to others. I mean, it has to get done eventually, and that takes discipline and the heart of a servant, but Jack is right! Your kids are young, and so are you! Live it up! Then, clean it up later 🙂
I really appreciate all of your comments. It is a hard balance, isn’t it? “All to the glory of God…” Might need to post this above my kitchen sink. 🙂
Thanks for linking up over at my blog. Great post. And I totally understand the struggle with housework. Praying you will know more and more what He says can wait and what needs to be tended to this day. Blessings, sister-friend.