31 Days To Clean Challenge Days 7 & 8

The Curse and How To Deal With It

Days 7 & 8 focused on why our houses are continually getting messy and dirty and disorganized. Have you ever thought about that? Some days I feel like I’ve washed dishes ALL DAY. And I sweep and vacuum and dust and wipe, and the next time I turn around there’s more dust and cat hair and dirt and I have to do it over again. I organize a cabinet and a few weeks later it’s a mess again. And don’t get me started on the laundry!! Do you ever feel like it’s useless? You just keep doing the same things over and over and when you finish, you have to do it again. Ever wonder why that is? As the 31 Days To Clean book says, it’s The Curse. (Thanks Adam & Eve!)

“Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19 NASB)

At that moment, our world went from a perfect sinless place with no death or anything unpleasant, to being in a constant state of decay and death. That is the result of sin. Here is an excerpt from 31 Days To Clean.

So, what can we do?

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NASB)

Our work has eternal significance. We have been given this work to do by God and we have the ability and the authority to overcome. Our endurance will make us stronger, bless our families, and bring glory to God. We can choose to complain about the constant stacks of dirty laundry and sinks full of dishes, or we can choose joy. Thank the Lord that you have clothes to wear and dishes to use, and family to use them. You are doing battle against the effects of sin as you scrub that toilet, and conquering your domain is what God has commanded you to do. These verses and commands are applicable to every part of our lives, but we usually don’t think about them pertaining to housework. So keep this in mind, and let it motivate and inspire you.

Here is my Battle Plan Six List for today 😉

I’m working on the painting now, just stopped for lunch and decided to do today’s blog post while I was at it 😉 Have a wonderful day!

Diary Of An Imperfect Housewife

The name Diary of a Happy Housewife conjures up pictures in my mind of an immaculately clean, organized, tastefully decorated house with a wife who is dressed beautifully with her hair done, makeup on, cute little apron firmly in place, whipping up gourmet meals in a tidy kitchen and ready at a moments notice to drop everything to serve her husband with a good drink, a foot rub, or whatever his heart desires. Does it do that to you too? Now, those things are wonderful and goals I can reach for, but the reality is that my house is a 24 ft travel trailer with three cats (yes, I said THREE cats) and it is not perfectly clean, or organized, and there aren’t a lot of things I can do to decorate it because we want it to look pretty new and original in case we want to sell it in the future… I do try and look nice most days but sometimes I look frumpy and my hair looks disheveled or I just threw it into a ponytail, and I’m learning to cook more exciting and creative foods but I’m from a long line of meat and potatoes plain jane kinda cooks so it takes practice, and sometimes I’m a little selfish when my hubby asks for a foot rub when he get’s home from work.

So no, I’m not a perfect housewife, but I am a happy housewife. I’m happy doing what God has called me to do, serving and loving my husband, and making our home a welcoming and comfortable place. I am happy when I serve my husband with an unselfish heart. I’m happy learning how to do things better. I find joy in a clean kitchen, a mound of freshly washed and folded pile of laundry. I’m happy because I’m embracing the roll that God created me for, not because I love doing dishes or folding laundry. Even when life is difficult and things are hard I have a peace and joy, a sense of fulfillment in my life.

It helps too that my husband is a loving, gentle extremely hardworking man. He loves a good foot rub every night but he’s willing to return the favor with a back rub if I ask. He works very hard in the business he owns with some of my family, fixing equipment, maintaining our trailer and vehicle, paying bills, and being my tender loving friend and supporter, and I work to make our home a comfortable, welcoming, relaxing place for him to come home to, help with the bookkeeping, and try to be his loving friend, his biggest fan, and the one that he can confide in. It’s an equal partnership with two very different but very important roles.

Even if Josh wasn’t the amazing husband that he is, it would still be my responsibility to do my part, but I am so thankful to God for giving me a man like him. And that is a subject for another post 😉
So welcome to my blog. It’s a picture into my life as an imperfect wife learning every day and finding joy and fulfillment in the journey. I hope you will find something here that will encourage you.