Battling The Sloth

"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." 2 Chronicles 15:7

There are some days where all I really want to do is do nothing. Really. There are just some days where I would love nothing more than to check my e-mail, do some blogging, and then curl up with a great book and a long-simmering pot of stew or soup on the stove. But do you know what happens when Mom takes a day off? It's not good. The last time I was really sick, I was out for several days, and I swear it took weeks for the house to recover. If I don't keep on it, its amazing how the mess just seems to expand and explode! I can thoroughly dust one day, and a few days later I'm looking in amazement as there is a fresh new layer, waiting to be wiped off. If I don't keep on the bathrooms, they quickly get stinky and dirty and it takes very little time for a layer of mildew to start growing. These things just need to be maintained all the time.

And I'm back to the idea that some days, I really don't want to do anything. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I've gotten back into an exercise routine. I do it three mornings a week while Zander is at preschool, and I really don't enjoy it. I've kept it up, and yet... this morning I was sitting here, feeling like I didn't get enough sleep, and I can't help but think that it would be nice to take a morning for myself. And just like that, it could be so easy to just shut down, and I know, I know with all I've got that it's the enemy teasing me. It's the devil dangling that carrot of slothfulness in front of my nose, and by golly, I want to resist it! Then, I read this Bible verse this morning, and it was like an IV was placed in my arm. Thank God for that! Thank God for His Word that gives me the words I need to read at just the right time. Thank God for His unfailing love that looks down with compassion and sees those days when I just need a boost!

You know, sometimes it's easy to forget that God really does care about my every day. Sure there may be grand plans down the road, but in the here and now, my ministry is right here at home, and God knows that, and I can ask Him for help, even when it comes to the mundane housework. I know my house is never going to be perfect, and that there is always going to be more laundry to do, but it is God who gives me the strength and the energy to get up every single morning and start anew and fresh. For me, it's also about that time with Him though. Because what am I doing while I'm doing the mundane? I'm praying. When I'm putting away laundry or vacuuming or doing dishes, my mind doesn't have to be on a task I've done thousands of time, so I spend that time with God, talking to Him, telling Him about my plans, thanking Him for my family and for new friends. If I were caught up in a book or watching something, my mind would be focused on that, and not on God. So it's a win-win situation for God, really. If He helps me out by giving me the energy I need to get my work done, He's also giving me the time to focus on Him. Isn't that just fun to think on?

"She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. " Proverbs 31:27

As tempting as that bread of idleness may be sometimes, I choose to leave it alone. I choose, instead, the Bread of Life.

"For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:33