The cadence of a home is one that ebbs and flows with the seasons. The music changes with the flowers and snow. The tempo adjusts to the heat and the cold. We go, and we come. We stay, and we roam. We renew, and we revive.
Or at least we should.
We must slow down. We must savor these moments that quickly turn into years. Household chores aren’t meant to be hurried over in order to get to the next thing.
The washing of dishes isn’t meant to be rushed. Slow down and think through it. These dishes represent people who have eaten their bellies full – your family, your cherished loved ones. The dishes, this moment is a gift.
Why do you hurry through?
Look at the clothes you fold – the tiny sleeve, the worn out heel, the oil stain. What do they represent? A little miracle you carried in your womb. A well loved sock faithfully keeping your feet warm. A man who is committed to caring for his family. These clothes which you fold are a gift.
Why do you hurry through?
Why do you zoom through town in order to get your grocery shopping over with? What’s the hurry? Do you see the pond glinting in the morning sun? What about the old couple holding hands at the cross walk? Do you see the world you live in? This drive across town is a gift.
Why do you hurry through?
Homemaking and all that goes into it is not a race. Homemaking is not meant to be done quickly. Sometimes this means everything won’t get done. But I’ll take ten undone tasks and a joyful, calm spirit any day. Homemaking is a gift. It is the making of a home. It is a process, not a race.
Why do you hurry through?
I have linked a song below from Watermark called Invade. I love beginning my day with this prayer on my lips.
About Leigh Ann
I appreciate the sentiment, but I hurry through my chores so that I can spend more time playing with my kids who are one and two years old. However, I slowdown for the tasks that we can do together, like helping my two year old set the table, or vacuuming painfully slow because my son wants to “help”. These are the most joyfully, if patience-teaching moments of my chores!
J harvey, I am so glad you have found a way to joyfully work through your tasks. My rushing was causing a stumbling block for me. I can learn a thing or two from you! Thanks for sharing
Leigh Ann recently posted..Home is Where I Want My Heart to Be
I love this post! I’m trying to get lots of chorse done while my husband is away on a work trip to China and Australia. For me, it’s about getting everything clean as a surprise for him. We’re having trouble keeping house and working full time and being newlyweds (4 months and one week!). I’ll look for those things when I fold laundry tonight. I miss my husband but I know he’s doing his best for us and that it’s where he needs to be right now.
Alexandra, I have so been there in the early months of marriage. My hubby worked 80 hours a week and was usually gone 4-5 days each week for work. It is NOT EASY being a newlywed in this situation. Marriage is hard enough without the added burden of travel, but God is so faithful – THAT you can be sure of even when you think He’s forgotten you. I’ve written about this experience a few times on the blog. I’ll link them below in hopes that you might find some encouragement.
http://intentionalbygrace.com/2011/11/08/how-i-got-my-husband-to-leave-his-job-mommy-daddys-marriage-matters-series/
http://intentionalbygrace.com/2012/12/03/sahm-when-your-husband-is-gone-a-lot-part-1
http://intentionalbygrace.com/2012/12/10/on-being-sahm-when-your-husband-is-gone-a-lot-part-2/
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace recently posted..Intentional Conversation: Who Are You Working For?
Love this! I try to include my kids in the chores so I can spend time with them while doing the work, but also so they can see that sometimes we have to be responsible and get things done because it’s for the best interest of our family. What I’ve been trying to do is pray through cleaning and laundry…as a way of showing praise for the gifts God has poured over my life.
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Including our kids is a great way to slow down.
I like your idea of praying through cleaning and laundry. Great idea!
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace recently posted..Intentional Conversation: Who Are You Working For?
You remind me of Brother Lawrence and his writing on “practicing the presence of God”. His main job was in the kitchen washing dishes, yet it was here that he found (over time) intimate communion with the Lord. What you shared was very inspiring to me. Instead of doing everything at WARP speed rushing around, each moment can be spend in the childlike wonder of living in His presence and letting His spirit illuminate all we do. I like reading things like this and having fresh eyes for the moments of each day.
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I like how you compared this slowing to a childlike wonder. So true! I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace recently posted..Intentional Conversation: Who Are You Working For?
OH I am trying so hard not to rush. My thoughts carry me further than I need to go. SLOW DOWN I say. Savour this moment in time. The rustle of lunch being made while I type. The birds chirping in the trees. My breathing – in and out.
THanks for this timely post.
Blessings,
Jan
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I know that slowing down is much easier said than done. I would submit that slowing down is a DISCIPLINE for women. There is an intentionality that is needed to train ourselves to slow down. But I think it’s a discipline worth pursuing. I loved your imagery of birds chirping, breathing in and out. Deliberate ways we can slow down and savor.
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace recently posted..Intentional Conversation: Who Are You Working For?
Thank you so much for this post. I had never heard that song before! I stopped hurrying through washing dishes and making dinner and had a dance party with my 2-year-old to that song and tried to focus on smiling and laughing with him. I needed this. Definitely sharing!
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Aprille, I’m so glad to introduce you to one of my all time favorite songs! We have dance parties around here too. They are the perfect way to savor, in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing!
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace recently posted..Intentional Conversation: Who Are You Working For?
Just lovely. I so often rush through my house work and look at it as an impediment to all the other things I need to do. Yet I often end up frantic and grumpy. When I slow down, and remind myself of the divine even in the everyday, I find God meets me right where I am.
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