New Perspective
Yesterday our clocks changed, springing forward one hour. I am having a tough time with the loss of one hour of sleep, given that I have already had trouble sleeping the past couple of nights.
Weekends are difficult for me. I know they are supposed to be the best days of the week, at least for those that work Monday through Friday. No work, just free time to do as you please. I struggle with the lack of structure though and I have trouble creating my own structure for those two days. I want to do so much - house projects, outings with the family, and personal passion projects (gardening, art, reading). Of course, I want to take time to rest and refresh as well, as I detailed in my last post. This past Saturday started out fine, but anger quickly rose in me and I took it out on those I love the most. I was so ashamed, and so angry that I was letting my anger control my actions. You may wonder what I became so angry about. Honestly, I cannot pinpoint the exact trigger. I believe this is a pattern I have whenever I begin doing housework. I start the project at hand and become angry that I am carrying the load, and it feels like no one else in the household cares to help or even acknowledge all that I’m doing. Why am I the one doing all of this work? Well, angry me is quite irrational. But when the anger fades I know that is not the truth. My husband carries his share and sometimes the task scales weigh heavier in his direction than mine.
I began researching some biblical guidance about chores and realized quickly I have had the wrong perspective on housework and home projects for a long time. My research took me all the way back to Genesis.
Genesis 1:28 - Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the Earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Genesis 2:15 - The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
It is clear work is a part of God’s original design for humanity and we were made to govern over the Earth. If I flip the perspective to this and realize that my home is my part of the world that I can govern, then I should take joy in doing the work the Lord has called me to do. It is about seeing God in our work and doing our work for God.
This Psalm has been with me for several weeks now. I haven’t been sure why it has tugged at my heart strings until now:
Psalms 127:1-2. Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning to late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”
Everything we do must have a foundation in God.
There is one more verse I will leave you with my friends that resonates with me:
Proverbs 14:1 - A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
Today I continue my year of reading through the Bible with Exodus Chapters 30-31. The past few days’ worth of reading have been chapters so rich in detail that God prescribed to Moses for the Tabernacle and consecration of Aaron and his sons. It warms my heart to think that He must care about the details of our lives too.
