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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Dirty Dishes and the Glory of God

One challenging transition in marriage for me has been housework. I work 28 hours a week, and as a single I was never skilled at keeping up after myself. Now that there's two to keep up with, it's no wonder I've been feeling overwhelmed.
I've been asking a few older women for advice on how to keep a better house and manage my time. A lot of good nuggets came out of those conversations, but the one that really hit me has to do with the glory of God.

I've been feeling lost in what to focus on in the house and was feeling like I ought to be accomplishing EVERYTHING. So many of the teachings I've heard talked about how cleanliness, orderliness, and diligence in the home give glory to God.
1 Corinthians 14:33 | 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 | Proverbs 31:27
     Since being married, I've realized I simply do not have the ability to accomplish everything. At the limits of my strength and time, there was still more to do. Housework became a burden. It was discouraging and exhausting, desiring to give God glory in my home, but not having the ability.  
     This is where Kathy W. came in and shared lots of good thoughts with me about prioritizing. She encouraged me to consider my roles: daughter of God, wife, housekeeper, employee, etc. Then to consider what roles have priority, and what tasks within those roles were most important. For example, the most important of my roles is as a God's daughter and as a wife. The most important tasks as a wife is to love, care for and help my husband.
Roles
1. God's Daughter

2. Wife
                              ______|______                               
Friend    Lover    Helper

3. Housekeeper
___________|___________
            Cook          Dishwasher        Laundry Folder

      Spending time with Derek falls under my role as a wife. Doing dishes, on the other hand, falls under being a housekeeper. If I only have time for one of those and both are being asked of me at the same time, which do I choose do?
     This is where Kathy W. blew my mind; God prioritizes.
     "Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”" - Mark 12:29-31
     To mirror God's priorities -- to make the things important to Him important to us -- is to give God glory. So when a choice comes between Derek and dirty dishes, God's priority is Derek. That means my priority is Derek.
     So in some roundabout way, the dirty dishes I have to leave in the sink can give God glory. Not because they are dirty, but because they are the consequence of a decision that reflects God. This has relieved the burden and sadness I feel, because I know I'm using what I do have the way God wants me too.

     "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
- 1 Corinthians 10:31

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Have you ever realized an unexpected way God can be glorified in your life? What was it and how did it come to light?

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