This last week I was telling someone that I use to be a very disorganized housewife and mother years ago. They said they found that hard to believe. This got me to thinking about how it came about that I am more organized and get a lot done in a day. Also I enjoy doing my work now.
First off the Lord knows our
personalities and when we go to him for the help we need “He”
always shows us the way. We do have to watch for these ways and be
ready to accept and do what he shows us to do. This goes for all
aspects of our lives. It sometimes means a leap of faith, but “He”
is always faithful when we do what he has showed us.
Rom
8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.
When I was a mother it was in the
1970's through 1990's. In the early years we could not go and google
and ask about organization, keeping a home together, best prices on
food and clothing or material for making clothing etc. We had to
wait on the Lord for some of our answers. The Lord always showed me
what to do (when I listened).
The first answer was in the Bible. The
Proverbs 31 woman. It seemed totally out of reach for me at the
time. But I also knew God was faithful and he was the teacher.
The second thing was a desire to even
be like the Proverbs 31 woman. I did not work outside the home that
meant (to me) that I had to treat my home and family like a job. I
was to do the best I could in that job.
The second thing that came was a book
called, “The Sidetracked Home Executives”. This was my personality
and the Lord knew it. It was a card system for days of the week,
every other week, every month, spring to do list, summer to do list,
fall to do list, and winter to do list. Their system was perfect for
me.
Here is an example of my side tracked habit.
When putting laundry up in a room, I would see something that needed
done and I would work on it. Then next thing I knew, I was someplace
else doing something else altogether than the laundry. The day was
almost gone and it looked like I had done hardly anything. No room
or chore was completed. The card system and the book taught me how
to stay focused on what I was doing and to stay with the one task
till completed. Once I learned this so much more got accomplished in
my home. This went for grocery shopping, thrift store shopping
(example look for needs first then other things I wanted). Preparing
meals, getting breakfast for hubby and kids, getting hubby off to
work and kids ready for school, cleaning house, etc.
After doing their card system for a
couple years, it became a habit.
This did not happen overnight. It took
perseverance on my part and that desire to do my job to the best of
my ability and to look to the Lord for all things.
I am now 67 years old, my children are
grown and a lot of my grandchildren are adults and almost adults. My husband and
I are now retired, even though we do a lot of work on this homestead
we live on.
My husband is always telling me that he
appreciates all that I do to help him. I may never be that perfect
example of the Proverbs 31 woman, but I am glad that I did make her
my mentor.
Nina
