There is brown splatter in the toilet I just cleaned. There's more dishes in the sink and ironing in the basket. Do you want to know the secret of creating matter in a void? Wash all the laundry and leave the basket empty, the next time you open the basket it will be half full of the most putrid smelling matter (aka my husbands workout clothes). Some days the monotony of being a "home maker" drives me to the brink of madness. It doesn't matter how many dishes I wash there are always more dishes. It doesn't matter how much laundry I clean there is always more laundry. It doesn't matter how many clothes I iron there is always more ironing. It doesn't matter how many meals I cook there are always hungry mouths to feed. It doesn't matter how much I clean the house it still looks like a bomb has hit within an hour of completion. For example, just as I finished mopping the floor the cat vomited the better half of a bird onto the clean tiles. The constant repetition of these tasks makes my brain itch. I can't help thinking if there isn't a better way to live life.
Whenever there's a big lottery draw, I daydream about how wonderful life would be if we won. Sometimes I'll surf the real-estate sites and imagine how great it would be to have our own home and not be paying someone else's mortgage.
In the daydream I imagine telling Hubby we won, then buying a beautiful home, furnishing it and painting Munchie's name on her bedroom door. That's where the fantasy ends, I never think beyond that. Why? Because I know after that I have to clean the house, do the laundry and cook dinner. Life would return to its normal monotony. There'd be no point in hiring someone to do it because with time whatever I do to replace it will eventually become routine and be just as brain numbing.
Don't believe me? Solomon was the third king of ancient Israel, at the height of his reign he was one of the richest men in history. He built amazing structures, fought heroic wars, and had over one thousand wives and concubines. Despite being the guy everyone wanted to be Solomon wasn't filled with joy, this is what he wrote, "I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind....I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless....I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere" ( Ecclesiastes 1:17, 2:1,4-11 NLT). Pretty depressing if you stop there but even more depressing if you read verses 12-23 of Ecclesiastes 2.
Solomon eventually comes to an encouraging conclusion, he said, "I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God." (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Continent and gratitude turn the monotonous life into a wonderful life, which ultimately is a gift from God. Being content with paying our landlord's mortgage and grateful for hubby's job, a healthy baby, for dishes in the sink and even the toilet splatter make life joyful. A family and home are a gift from God and though the upkeep of these things can be boring at times, I wouldn't exchange them.
I Hope you find joy in the monotony today.
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24
Whenever there's a big lottery draw, I daydream about how wonderful life would be if we won. Sometimes I'll surf the real-estate sites and imagine how great it would be to have our own home and not be paying someone else's mortgage.
In the daydream I imagine telling Hubby we won, then buying a beautiful home, furnishing it and painting Munchie's name on her bedroom door. That's where the fantasy ends, I never think beyond that. Why? Because I know after that I have to clean the house, do the laundry and cook dinner. Life would return to its normal monotony. There'd be no point in hiring someone to do it because with time whatever I do to replace it will eventually become routine and be just as brain numbing.
Don't believe me? Solomon was the third king of ancient Israel, at the height of his reign he was one of the richest men in history. He built amazing structures, fought heroic wars, and had over one thousand wives and concubines. Despite being the guy everyone wanted to be Solomon wasn't filled with joy, this is what he wrote, "I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind....I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless....I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere" ( Ecclesiastes 1:17, 2:1,4-11 NLT). Pretty depressing if you stop there but even more depressing if you read verses 12-23 of Ecclesiastes 2.
Solomon eventually comes to an encouraging conclusion, he said, "I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God." (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Continent and gratitude turn the monotonous life into a wonderful life, which ultimately is a gift from God. Being content with paying our landlord's mortgage and grateful for hubby's job, a healthy baby, for dishes in the sink and even the toilet splatter make life joyful. A family and home are a gift from God and though the upkeep of these things can be boring at times, I wouldn't exchange them.
I Hope you find joy in the monotony today.
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24
No comments:
Post a Comment