Loaded title, huh?
I wrote out a plan for last week. It helped.
Really, it did.
Not that I ever looked at it again or printed it out so I could use a pen to cross things off.
It was more about thinking ahead. Accepting that even though Tuesdays and Wednesdays are taken up with commitments, not letting the other three days just happen will result in a more productive week.
So, I’d like to plan out this week as well. But this week’s plan involves conviction, priorities and purpose.
I’ve mentioned that October was very rough due to the fact that I dropped waaaayyyy too many yes-bombs. My priorities were all out of whack because essentials for my real-job (mom, wife and home manager) were being neglected for noble but not eternal pursuits.
Yes, I do believe that my mom/wife/home-manager job is an eternal pursuit.
Working at the book fair? Not so much.
Anyway, God has been working on me. He’s kind and loving, so He has been giving me some gentle nudges and reminders. I’d really like to act on those so He doesn’t need to do anything more drastic to get my attention.
Yesterday, many of the nudges came into focus. We’re studying Ecclesiastes in our Sunday morning class, using Tommy Nelson’s video series, which is fantastic. I’ve loved the study because it’s such a fantastic reminder that God gets it.
By “it”. . . I mean life.
Perhaps you know this from reading my blog . . . but I’m not so much into speaking in ideals. Give me reality, something I can actually accomplish, and I’m happy. Not that I’m into depressing stuff. I truly gain a positive attitude from truth. I can work with truth.
Ecclesiastes is about life. The realities of life, as fully understood by God, because God created life. Some of it could be discouraging, such as the reminder that one big mistake ruins a lifetime of good reputation. Unfair? Perhaps. Reality? Totally.
Yesterday, the lesson focused on how knowing God’s Word isn’t just an ideal to put on your wouldn’t-it-be-great list. It’s necessary. Consistent study and prayer to the point where God’s words become my thoughts is necessary to navigate (well) through this world that He created.
I know this from experience. Three-and-a-half years ago, I finally developed a routine that made my personal Bible Study time a consistent (and favorite) part of my day. Through this consistency, I experienced a closeness with God and a true understanding of His concern and involvement in every aspect of my life.
With the craziness of this school year . . . I’ve let this Bible study time be the thing that gets pushed off of the schedule on busy days. Which is every day. Most weeks lately (including today), I’ve done my entire week’s BSF lesson in a single sitting.
Last week, I was surprised to get a tweet from @MontanaSherryC. She said: I’m praying for one of my Tweeps every day and YOU are next on my list! Any specific requests for today? #tweepprayer
Ummm. Wow. My answer: Wow! I’m honored! My prayer is that God will clearly guide my steps. Every single teeny-tiny step.
Which is true. That has been my desperate prayer of late. And I do believe that He has answered it with this gentle reminder of HOW He guides steps.
Through His word.
Sooooo, back to the scheduling thing. My days need to be determined by whether or not a commitment will steal away that time. It’s only 20-30 minutes in the morning, pre-shower, so it should be fairly easy to protect. As long as I’m purposeful about that protection.
With that as the foundation of my days, here’s the rest of my week:
Monday (today) –
- Finish laundry. Like, folding and everything.
Clean the bathrooms.Cook, puree and freeze our pumpkins.- Write posts ahead for Tuesday and Wednesday. (They’re in my head, I just have to get them written!)
Tuesday –
- Bible Study leaders’ meeting
- Errands, including grocery shopping for Thanksgiving
- Choreography rehearsal with my 9yo’s show choir.
Wednesday –
- Bible Study day
- Half-price clothing day at Salvation Army!!!
Thursday –
- Write freelance post (AFTER completing Bible study for the day!)
- Shoot a video review and write a post for a giveaway of an Oreck Steam-It All Purpose Steam Wand
Friday –
- Mop, dust, and vacuum (AFTER completing Bible study for the day!)
- Declutter something!!! (I have big ideas, but am just saying “something” in case the big ideas don’t happen!)
What does your week hold?
I’ll be linking this up over at Money Saving Mom.
The Amazon links in this post are my referral links. If you happen over to Amazon out of curiosity, and then buy a little something while you’re there (ANYthing), I get a small commission. Which always makes me smile!
Thanks for sharing. I know how out of whack it can it and my quiet time definitely has an impact on my days. I can tell when I’ve missed it.
I really needed this one today. Thanks!
Thank you so much for being BOLD – about your Faith AND your imperfections…. your honesty puts me in check every day I read it…. I am a recovering hoarder (among other things) and I attend Celebrate Recovery. I have mentioned your website a few times there, and posted you to pinterest…. Every day it helps to remember we are not alone in our struggles!!!! Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ann, thank you so much for helping to spread the word about this site.
And for your comment. I prayed about this post before I published it, so comments like yours were a huge encouragement.
Man, it’s freaky how often you are in my head! I’ve been dealing with this exact same issue as well. And I keep saying no and trying to play “catch up” to my backlog, and keep the house on this side of a cesspool, and occasionally sleep, and then remember to spend time in prayer and in the Bible as well? It’s so easy to let that be the thing that slides. I really like how you talk about “protecting” that time, because really, that’s what you have to do, isn’t it?
I JUST LOVE YOU! This was absolutely your best! There’s so much within you! I loved the comment from Julie before me! It made me realize again how many people are like us ( all different ) issues. But you give us hope that we are not alone in our struggles! It is facing our inadequacies & moving in our strengths. And we do meet up at the middle. Thankyou for going ahead of us in example & being for real!
“Yes, I do believe that my mom/wife/home-manager job is an eternal pursuit.”
This.
And I shamefully allow other things to take it’s place sometimes. Not as the mom/wife role, but as the home-manager-I-should-mop-my-floor role. Sometimes I’d rather do anything but that. Ok, well, most times if we’re being honest.
This was really well-written. And convicting. Off to re-prioritize…
-Lauren
Recovering from the birthday party on Sunday afternoon. Try to get my house back to pre-party clean. I like it that way!
One thing I figured out about laundry. 1) No one dies if the shirts come out of the dryer wrinkled, they get hung up the same day they are washed which is more important to me. 2) socks, undies, and brazzeeers can get thrown in the drawers sans folding. 3) Pants for hubby are the only thing I take out of the dryer when it stops for minimal wrinkles. For my pants I really don’t care. 4) Socks don’t need folding or pairing especially if you make a lazy point of buying hubby the exact same socks every time – pull two they are the same. Same for me on socks.
I finally cleaned out just my stuff from the closet, sorted by size and type came up with 7 garbage bags of women’s clothes to donate. Now getting the 7 bags out of the closet has been the harder part. LOL! I am working on it.
My hubby finally said it was fine for his socks to just be in his sock drawer, not paired and folded. It was better than having them sit in the bottom of the clean laundry basket forever under the next clean load, and the next, and the next. Matching and folding socks is the hardest for me. I do keep buying the same brand but sometimes they’re bigger or smaller and some socks are more worn out than others.
I tried to comment on the steam-mop post (not to enter the giveaway) but the comments were closed.
Just thinking though, the slob vision that makes one think that the steam-mop will just make the dirt … disappear… probably came (are you ready for this?)… from the steam-mop commercials!! Next time you see one, watch: do they show someone getting down on their hands and knees to wipe it all up? Or do they just show someone leading the steam-mop through a pile of grime to reveal clean tiles with the grime still on either side … and then cut away to something else? You are NOT to blame for this one! Sneaky advertisers! 😉
After reading this, all I want to know is – what (who?) were you shopping for and what did you buy at the Salvation Army?
And thanks for giving me some spoonful-of-sugar encouragement to get on with my own house. It was looking great today. (I’m at work all night so not sure what it looks like now but I was babysitting before I left, and there were toys all over the kids room- but it was safe for the two babies because it started out clean- and even vacuumed. )