Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Priority #4 - My Home - Way too much Mary, Not nearly enough Martha




Okay. So I have looked over my last few posts in the area of home and realized, that I am not putting in as much effort as I should in the appearance and upkeep of my home. I am logging lots and lots of hours spent in the study of the word, but if I don't learn to apply it in a practical sense, all my efforts will be lost.

We were recently with a family member who traveled to help her daughter get settled in her new home. She was tireless (literally), hanging up pictures, arranging cabinets, fixing things, arranging, and organizing. I have been to the 3 homes this relative has lived in. They are always immaculate, and well decorated. Granted, I would have loved for her to stop her business for more than just the time it took to eat dinner and sit and visit. She's always fun to talk to, but I can see within myself where I need to pick up the pace a bit. Do I want to have lived in this beautiful home the Lord has blessed me with and only gotten use out of it on holidays?

A recent meditation on the books of Psalms and Proverbs drew my attention to the phrase, "righteous will flourish."

Proverbs 11:28 AMP, "He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident in his riches shall fall, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like a green bough."

Proverbs 14:11 AMP, "The house of the wicked shall be overthrown, but the tent of the upright shall flourish."

Psalm 92:12 AMP, "The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]."

Psalm 72:7 CJB, "In His [the Messiah's] days, let the righteous flourish and peace abound, till the moon is no more."

The word for flourish used there is the Hebrew word, פָּרַח or parach, which means "to bud, sprout, shoot, bloom." I confess, I have not bloomed in my home as I should. By blooming, I mean that I feel there should not be a single room in my home that has not been touched by my creativity and energy.

To start, I have jumped back on the FlyLady wagon again this week. It has helped. I have finally gotten rid of all those socks that were faithfully sitting in a basket in the family room waiting for their mates to finally join them. I'm afraid they have perished in their waiting. I've dusted the livingroom and cleaned the water spots from the last rain storm off the atrium door in the family room. Proverbs 13:19a, "A desire accomplished is sweetness to the soul..."

So, pray for me. I hope to have some success stories for you in the future.

Blessings!

2 comments:

Genabeamommy said...

When I first glanced at the title of this blog... I laughed. I, too am guilty of not posessing enough of Martha's character. I love the Word and meditating on it so much or sharing it, that some things go undone or delayed.


I've got to figure out how to accomplish Deuteronomy 6... Teach them when you rise and when you sit.. when you go along the way, etc (paraphrasing). I'm laughing, but I'm serious. Our modern age of technology makes sitting so easy to do and moving around seem like a challenge some days. God wants the teaching and meditation of His word to be a natural occurance in any and all environment...He wants it to be moving and living... Dare I say...even while we handle housekeeping.

Ahh... so much work to do. Thanks for reenforcing what my heart had already convicted me of.

Donalacasa said...

>>Our modern age of technology makes sitting so easy to do and moving around seem like a challenge some days.<<

That's the gospel truth in that statement, Genabeamommy!

Thanks for sharing.

Blessings!