By Faith In Kentucky
• Jan. 2, 2009 - Simplify in 2009
My pastor encouraged us to ask God to show us as individuals His "word" for us in 2009. Simplify. That word came clearly to me one day quite unexpectedly. I wasn't even praying at the time.
Some of you know I try to follow Flylady routines. I repeatedly "fall off the wagon" and my home ends up cluttered again. Well, I'm currently "on the wagon". A few weeks ago I read a book by home decorator Ty Pennington. (Funny, the things God uses.) Anyway, unlike Flylady, he suggests setting your bedroom straight first. Why? Because it's the first thing you see in the morning. Do you wake up, as I did, looking at a mound of mess? Do you already feel defeated for your day ahead before your head even lifts off your pillow? My new year gift to my hubby and myself was a clean bedroom. We are loving it! I wake up energized to clean, declutter, organize and relax more.
How can I relax if I'm thinking of more work? Because I know that a good, honest, hard day's work on my home will result in a relaxing evening without guilt for wasted time. "Redeem the time for the days are evil"(Ephesians 5:16) is a verse that has often convicted me. I know I waste time. So I plan on doing one room at a time while maintaining the previously cleaned rooms. Right now the living room is my focus as I de-decorate from Christmas. It's the hardest room to maintain because we live there! But that's where training my family comes in. I won't be slave to their messes or I'll be a grumpy mama. Yes, it means several times a day I'm asking someone to pick up their particular mess before moving on to another project. However, it truly is worth the effort.
What kind of lesson is there to be had in this for my soul? Mary (Martha's sister) is my inspiration. She knew when to take time for the truly important matter of sitting at Jesus' feet. Oh, I so want to be like her. Truth is, I can't focus when I'm sitting in a mess. I'm not talking about a perfectly clean museum-like house. I'm talking about less stuff to dust and put away. It feels really good to throw away trash and give away something useful for someone else. Then I can rest in a peaceful place and meditate on God's word, have time to help others, spend precious moments with my family without saying "I have housework to do."
So my goal this year, to be accomplished one day at a time, is to simplify my life by doing away with excess objects and commitments so I can really be a good steward of the time God gives me. I only get to use each minute once. "So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely." Psalm 90:12
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• Jan. 3, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Cindy
My new blog address is
http://ourjourneywestward.com