Have you ever felt like you might die of frustration? That one more dirty dish—one more bed to make might just send you over the edge? The mundane things of life are so, so mundane! This quandary brings me to two of my aunts, who I’ve referred to over and over through the years—one kept a fairly tidy house and spilt dirt from the potted plant (by my young son) seemed like a fairly big embarrassment as she fussed around to get it cleaned up. My other aunt had a laundry room with a mountain of clean clothes piled in it and every time one of the kids wanted something clean they’d get it from the pile and iron it. Messes weren’t a big deal. Her house was also reasonably clean, but it was a place that welcomed children.
So, a prophet of the Lord has asked us to get back to the basics—God—family—self. Does that mean I don’t have to waste time cleaning up anymore??? Please? Oh the luxury of having a maid! It’s something I’ve dreamed about (not literally, but figuratively). But I don’t have and will never have a maid. Bummer.
Back to the basics—does that mean I should quit writing and focus on church and family things? That would be ignoring SELF, and would certainly classify as hiding my talent in the dirt. One apostle said, “If we put God first, everything else falls into place.” This advice is actually very helpful for me.
When we pray for guidance in balancing our efforts we will gain the help and perspective we need. Even so, I find that I am continually having to scale back. My parents were both collectors of things, and thus I’m a collector by nature. Instead of collecting THINGS, I collect THINGS TO DO. Pretty soon, I’ve got things to do scattered everywhere and my life is too cluttered. I’ve got to scale back.
I know from experience that we CAN be trying to develop too many talents at one time, and we CAN have too high of expectations for the perennially dusty home. These things, though good, can bring a mountain of frustration and give us less time for temple attendance, less time to read the scriptures. How do we keep from continually tipping the scales?
3 comments:
I agree that we have to put God first. I always pray that I will know what is most important each day. When I really started doing that in earnest, really listening for the answers and following them, I found myself with much more writing time then I'd ever had before. Good luck!
Um. I'm still waiting for someone to discover how to add an extra hour to the day, or better an extra day to the week. Sorry now much help - but I love your blog and reading your thoughts. (Well, the thoughts you write-not the ones still in your head.)
Angie and Tamara, thanks for your comments. I remember one of the prophets saying something to the effect of, "I have so much to do today, I'm going to have to spend another hour on my knees just to get it all accomplished." I need to put it to the test a little more often.
Post a Comment