Lately, I have felt the Holy Spirit, impress upon me, the importance of taking care of my home, but also the importance of putting those words down to share with others. It's almost like this feeling of needing to get through, to remind those of us who are discouraged, that what we do is deserving of recognition and praise.
As homemakers, we should be supportive of one another, not judgemental. Don't assume that just because you do things one way, that is the right and only way to do it. Be kind, understand that we all live different lives and what I find easy for me to do, may not seem that easy for others. Maybe I have shortcuts that work for my family, but that would not work for other families. In other words, do what is right for your own home.
With that said, I felt that I needed to sit down and talk a bit about finding the motivation to take care of our homes. There are going to be times when you will feel that nothing brings you joy, that you could easily sit on the couch, or lay on the bed for hours at a time, without wanting to do another dish, cook another meal, or pick up another sock off the floor.
First, I want you to know that, it's normal, and we will all have those days. As homemakers we are on call 24/7. We don't get to leave our jobs and go home at the end of the day to relax and have a meal waiting for us. We push through, sick or healthy, happy or sad, willing or unwilling.....and God knows there are days that seem almost impossible to conquer, but yet we do.
When I got sick beginning of January, I tried to push through, and usually I would, but this time, I was so sick, that I found myself on my bed. Blanket pulled up tight around my neck, shivering uncontrollably, and feeling the worst body aches I had ever felt.
I remember one specific day, I was in the kitchen trying to fix dinner, feeling so sick, so sore and with a raging headache, that I had to double over and will my body to please, just keep going until the meal was done.
Tears ran down my face, and my sweet boy came out of his bedroom and asked me what was wrong. All I could say was "I don't feel well.".
He hugged me tight and told me to just leave it all and go to bed, but I felt so guilty for doing that, knowing my husband would be home from work soon, hungry. Not that he would say anything, I am blessed in having a wonderful husband who has at many times told me to leave dinner alone, and will pick something up for the family.
But I just pushed through, got dinner made, hardly ate myself, and quickly took a shower and headed to bed. That specific incident was out of my hands, I was sick, my body screaming for me to be still.
Yet, other times the motivation is just not there. Maybe I'm feeling sad, or dealing with a certain battle in my life that seems to be all consuming. It's those moments that can derail you completely, and if you give in to them, you will quickly find yourself spending more and more time laying around, not wanting to do anything.
So how do I find motivation to do it all? And how do I find contentment when taking care of my home?
I'll be honest, it's not always easy, it can actually be pretty hard at times, especially when we feel overwhelmed with life in general. But there is someone we can turn to, and someone who knows exactly what we feel, what our thoughts are and what our struggles are too. Someone who we only need to reach out to, and ask for strength and the courage and motivation to keep going.
In Hebrews 4:16 it says "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive and find grace to help us in our time of need."
I find that the best way to beat that discouragement, especially when we are faced with a chaotic house that needs our touch, is to just get up and start. I know, I know, it's hard. The struggle is real, right?
But nothing will change until we make the first step and get up, and start tackling something.
You don't have to start with huge tasks, take your time, do a little thing here and a little thing there. You will find that suddenly you start feeling renewed energy, and things start to flow.
God's mercies and grace are new every morning, but they're also always available, all we have to do is ask for them. The minute you start feeling unmotivated and down, pray, pray immediately, ask God to cover you in the blood of the lamb, and to give you the help to conquer that day.
I used to have days, where I would stack the dinner dishes in the washer and start it, but if there was dishes that didn't fit, I would just rinse them, place them in soapy water and leave them overnight. I didn't want to deal with washing them by hand, I didn't want to deal with cleaning the kitchen, I didn't have the energy, or the joy.
But right after I got sick, and I started feeling the need to just lay around and do nothing, I had a serious heart to heart with God. I asked Him to please remove all negative thoughts and emotions connected with our home, I asked Him for grace to tackle each day, and I asked Him to please instill in my heart the love for homemaking that I once had.
The very next day, I cooked dinner with extra care, taking the time to let the food simmer the time it needed, to season it properly, to not rush the meal just to put it on the table. My family thanked me and noticed the difference, and so did I.
It's not that I had been making food that wasn't edible, it is that I was rushing to just get it done, so I could retreat back to my bedroom.
I also loaded the dishwasher as always, but then hand washed every dish left in the sink, wiped down all the counters, turned the candle warmer on, swept the floor and walked out feeling so accomplished.
Walking into my kitchen the next morning reiterated for me, the need to take joy in everything that I do. To really feel content in my home and to go the extra mile, so that I don't have to wake up to a dirty, messy kitchen.
I didn't just stop there. The very next day I felt so much better, it was like I could feel this cloud of negativy lifting away, bringing me back to my old self.
All of a sudden I wanted to do it all again, I started organizing, decluttering and cleaning everything in sight.
My home no longer felt a burden.
With each passing day, the love for my home grew again. Now I am back to loving what I do, and being grateful for my home and for these daily tasks that keep me busy, from morning to night.
Be thankful, it is so easy to fall into a pit of despair, but we need to be thankful for each moment.
I now look at a sink of dishes waiting to be washed, or listen to one of my kids complaining about their day, or my eye catches the basket full of laundry needing attention, and all I can do is thank God, thank Him that I am blessed.
My children complaining or talking loudly and excitedly to one another, means that I am a mother.
The dishes in the sink mean that I was able to feed my family and that no one has gone hungry.
The laundry waiting to be thrown in the washer, means we have clothes to keep us warm.
