Finding Consistency

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon around here. It is cold outside and especially up on the hill at the church. It was chilly this morning when we got there. It was approaching miserable when we left! The weatherman says it is going to get colder...wonder if we could see a little snow out of it? If anything, probably ice - no fun there!

Sunday afternoons mean rest at our house. The FisherMan always takes a nap. The children have quiet time where they rest or read, watch a video, play with dolls. You get the gist of it. Today during this quiet time I have been thinking on how to get my routine more organized this week. I have been working on this a little at a time. Remember I said organization would prevail in this household? Well, I think it may have arrived. It just hasn't brought all the luggage in yet!

Before I got pregnant with my little one last year, I had a good routine going. All rooms were tackled everyday (pretty much). The only thing that needed some work were things like closets, drawers, outgrown clothes, the carport etc. Then I got pregnant. Morning sickness struck. When that subsided I started having trouble with the baby laying on a nerve so my hip would lock up. Literally. It was actually a great pregnancy but routines had to slip which meant some things just went undone. So since his birth 8 months ago I have slowly been trying to get back to where I was. Only better! I want those closets clean! I want every thing to have a place! You see, it wouldn't be readily apparent but I simply can't stand things to be junky! Stuff stacked up everywhere, clutter here, there. It drives me crazy! Which makes it hard when you are in a small place because I have another personality trait. I'm sentimental. You see my dilemma.

So, anyway I have done some deep cleaning and it has helped. I can zoom through and get things cleaned up fairly quickly. However, I also want my girls to learn to do their part so that throws "zooming through" out the window! The areas that were not deep cleaned and organized during my cleaning sprint the other day are being approached in a different way. I am trying to give a few minutes here or there all through the day. If I walk in a room I try to do "Something" to it. It isn't so intimidating that way. The progress gives me some encouragement.

You know, how we handle our homes often parallels our spiritual home as well. I have trouble with consistency and feeling overwhelmed with keeping the home sometimes. Perfectionism creeps in and threatens to take over. Instead of doing things out of love I do them because I have to in order to keep the perfect house or be the perfect wife. Or the opposite. I get too comfortable and think I have a grip on things so I can afford to let something go "just this once". Then when life happens and things go undone I have to struggle to get back where I should be.

There are times the same could be said of my spiritual life. I think I need to be the perfect Christian. Or I let life creep in and wind up not devoting the time I should to my relationship with my Lord. But the thing is Christ never asked me to be perfect. He never said I wouldn't stumble. But He did say He would give me His peace. That's right. GIVE IT. Not you must earn it. I am so thankful for Jesus and how He loves me and guides me! He is in everything and every situation! With Him all things are possible! When I am weak He is strong! Praise His Holy name!