Gathering At the Well

Lord, as I come to the Well today, I ask that You fill me with Your Living Water. You tell the woman at the well that whoever drinks the water You give will never thirst again. Lord, like this woman, I say, "Sir, give me this water!" (John 4) Lord, I thirst for You. I want Your streams of water to flow through me. I want more and more of You. Father, as I ponder the topic this morning, I ask that You give me Your wisdom. Open the eyes of my understanding, Lord. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

As I shuffle my way to the well this morning, I come with a heavy heart. The laundry isn't finished. I am late paying the bills this month. I STILL haven't finished cleaning my closet. There is mail, paper, and junk cluttering my HOT SPOT on the kitchen counter. I haven't been flying with the Fly Lady for months now.

As I come, feeling like a failure AGAIN, my head is hung low. Of course, because this area of my life is out of balance right now, and because I have not been seeking the Living Water to fill me, I turned to FOOD to comfort me. (Why do I do that???? Does FOOD give me strength? Does FOOD pay the bills? Does FOOD fold laundry????) So, I have the added guilt of eating out of head hunger trying to fill the longing of my soul.

SO, I could almost giggle when I see the topic for today- being an efficient homeworker! I almost chose to skip it because this area is so OUT OF WHACK right now!

Be an Efficient HomeWORKER

The discussion questions are:
1. What are some Bible verses that inspire you to keep blooming where you have been planted? What verses help you to carry on joyfully in your calling of being a homeWORKER?
2. What are some of your goals that you have in your own homeworking plan? These plans might be daily, short-range or long-range plans, schedules or goals.
3. How can you better utilize the tools that God has given you, in order to better manage your home for God’s Glory?

Some of my struggles are procrastination, putting too much on my "to do" list and beating myself up when it all isn't accomplished, and not taking time for relaxation and then becoming bitter when my husband and children are "playing." I tend to have a "poor me" pity party (Martha anyone????).

I WANT TO JOYFULLY take care of my home and family! And, I know the JOY of the Lord is my STRENGTH. So, it is time to get my focus off of ME and on to HIM! I need to reflect on the verses "Do everything without complaining....so I can SHINE" (Philippians 2:14) and "Whatever you do whether in word or deed (this means laundry!), do IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).

I need to cultivate an attitude of GRATITUDE, being thankful for all the Lord has done for me and given to me. I need to STOP looking at what I haven't done, and celebrate all that I have done and then rely on His strength for all that is still needed.

Some things (like the budget), I need to (as the Nike commercial says), "Just do it." Do the next thing. Finish it. I started today to list out all of the things that I need/want to accomplish and I will begin checking them off. I am going to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as to what I need to to do first (and that may be reading a book to my son, pushing my baby on the swing, or talking politics with my teenager!). I have to remember that I am NOT Superwoman! I do have 5 kids and this is a SEASON of life. I want to be obedient to what God is telling me to accomplish and take good care of my family, but I have to give myself the grace to be HUMAN and not expect robot-like perfection.

The most important thing I must do everyday is humble myself before the Lord, meeting with Him, listening to Him, surrendering to Him- giving Him my day.

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my time, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever." (Betty Scott, Missionary)

I love how our first question began "bloom where you are planted." This resonated with me because my "ministry" activities- speaking, blogging, writing- are so much more FUN and EXCITING than cleaning toilets, scrubbing the floor, and putting away clothes. I would much rather be on the computer than cleaning. The chores of keeping my home can be mundane to me. I have a friend who LOVES to clean and it therapeutic to her. Not with me. Give me a journal or a computer and I am flying. But, God has so often reminded me that my FIRST and FOREMOST ministry is my family. And, I do WANT a beautiful home with candles burning, fresh cut flowers, and music playing. I want peace and calm to rule- not chaos. So, God gave me this verse a long time ago:

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which He has called him. 1Corinthians 7:17.

God has called me to be a wife and mother and it is a tremendous honor, blessing, and joy. Oh, how fortunate I am!

If you are like me, you will head over to the Well for very PRACTICAL tips, organizational plans, and schedules. I need help in this area and look forward to some great ideas!

As I make my way over, there is a new lightness in my step and smile on my face! Praise God!