Thursday, April 24, 2008

Slowing Down the Speed of Life

The Lord has impressed upon me the need to slow down and enjoy it all. Do you ever stop and think "Why am I hurrying to save time? What am I going to do with the time I save that's oh so important?" It's perfectly good to want to accomplish a lot in a day, but not at the expense of losing my temper, or not being thankful for the work I do. Usually I'm trying to get through my housework (like cleaning the kitchen) so that in another hour I can make a mess of it again and have to clean it again. Why don't I just slow down and enjoy cleaning the kitchen? It's my life. Housework is my life. I've got 6 (messy) children and a (messy) husband (who I love) and I had better just embrace the fact that I'm going to be cooking and cleaning till the day I die! I can enjoy it or live in denial, but one way or the other it's what I do.
While I was doing the laundry the other day I was thinking about how God made me to be creative and enjoy beautiful things. He has also given me a home and family to care for. Why don't I put these together and make an art of homemaking to the glory of God? I can clean my children's clothes with a loving heart to the glory of God (instead of saying "Well I cleaned the laundry, the least you could do is fold it!) I can make bread, yogurt, and cheese at home with my children by my side enjoying the fruit of doing it ourselves (remember, we're not in a hurry anymore). I can grow vegetables and flowers and work outside enjoying the hard work and the bounty that we produce as co-laborers with the Creator. I can sit outside in the hammock and read stories to my children under the big walnut tree (if spring ever gets here) and know that I'm investing in what really matters...relationships (which you can't hurry). Do you get the picture? So slow down with me enjoy everything you have to do. It's all a gift.

1 comment:

All in the Family said...

As I am preparing for this day, I first looked out the window and saw how wet and muddy it looked, walked into the kitchen and realized when I am not the last one to bed, I will awake to find a mess awaiting me, I began to review all the errands that I had been given to accomplish today........I read a few entries in your blog......looked up, the sun was trying to come through the clouds, I remembered how good it felt to go to bed early and read while my husband finished the nightly rituals, my daughter greeted me with a "Good Morning, I had a GREAT sleep".

SLOW DOWN, ENJOY, BE GRATEFUL. I am blessed. Thank you for pointing me in the correct direction today.