Flimsy Boundaries

Join me in the Five Minute Friday Challenge hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker. Participants write for 5 minutes with no editing, no over thinking, and no backtracking. This week’s word is: Stay.

(Go)

3pm. Time to walk to school to collect my eldest son. His soft little hand in mine my younger boy and I head out the front gate and up the street.

Greeting us at the house next door is a sweet but grubby faced toddler. She is alone. I can hear her parents yelling at the older brother in the house. I wonder if they realise she has wandered out of the open door.

She smiles at us and we say ‘hello’. She pushes against the rusty metal. The flimsy gates do little to retain her. They don’t really close properly and she could easily escape.

I’m really worried. Two houses up is a main road. What if she tries to follow me? I close the gate again and latch it as best it will – which is barely at all. Glancing at the gaping space where the front door should be I pray that the people belonging to the loud angry voices realise she is there. I tell her to stay. To go find Mummy.

Looking back as I reach the corner, I am relieved to see that she has remained where it’s safe.

(Stop)

^{Psalm 19:7} The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward. (NIV)

Now. your turn…

Nifty Notion #1: Sweeping the Room with a Glance

No, this is not a joke. Neither is it really a cleaning tip. What it is though, is a necessary place my heart had to come to - in order to love and accept myself right here where I am at.

It is permission to not be okay. Authorization to acknowledge a day that is just plain ‘blah’; to sit and listen to music, to sew, to read a good book, to put my feet up, to ignore the housework. Why? There are days, dear friends, when my body (and possibly yours) just needs to rest. Pushing myself to achieve things on those days would only result in being extra useless for the next few.

With a certain amount of awe, I have listened to other women discussing how long it takes to clean their houses each day. The sheer number of tasks they can achieve.  My comparing mind works overtime, soon leading to frustration. Discouraged I focus on the negative and forget to see the positive.  I become depressed.

But this is not God’s plan for my life. While we are called to be good stewards of all that He has given us, He does not intend for us to be overwhelmed by it.

^{Matthew 11:28} “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(NIV)

Consider the story of Mary and Martha.

^{Luke 10:38} As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”(NIV)

This passage is not suggesting we should never do housework (wouldn’t we all love a verse like that!). Elsewhere Martha is acknowledged for her contribution.  But Jesus clearly states that it is not the be all and end all.  

Today, if it is not possible to be a Martha, be a Mary. Sweep the room with a glance and rest at Jesus feet.  

For more nifty notions click here.