The Cinderella Syndrome

2//8//11 Lesson
Did you ever look around your house and feel like Cinderella...everyone else is getting ready for the ball and you are too busy scrubbing, cooking, burping (the baby, lol!), and carpooling to enjoy life? Those kind of thoughts lead to what Zig Ziglar calls Stinkin' Thinkin'. It doesn't take long before we feel like we are missing out on something. If you do feel like that, you are definitely missing out...on the big picture.

It is generally true that many of the tasks associated fall to us as moms, but that is not what we were created for. Being a mom is a sacred responsibility, and the tasks we do are part of the role we have in creating the environment for our families to grow and thrive in. Yesterday we talked about the importance of stopping the downward spiral of thoughts as soon as you notice them. Instead of resenting the housework and seeming pointlessness of cleaning something that will get dirty again, view it as your opportunity to serve your family and God at the same time.

Fox River has started a series called God@Work and Sunday's message was geared towards those who work outside the home and students. I would challenge you to apply the same standards to your work as a mom. Take everything you do and offer it to God as worship. Do all things as you would do them for Him. Do it with a grateful heart, thankful for the things you get to clean and the people you get to care for.

On the practical side, because I am nothing if not practical, maybe your challenges come because you have to much stuff. Or too much going on. It's hard to clean the house when you are in the car all the time, carting kids to and fro. Find some workable solutions to help you get organized...partner up with a friend and gut each other's overflow. Be realistic, though. Recognize and respect the season of life you are in. Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to other moms. Check out my downward spiral here. Focus on the important needs first, and learn to set the bar a little lower for the rest of it. Life with a baby is not necessarily the time to reorganize your house from top to bottom. Relax and remember that they really do grow up fast, and enjoy the time you have right now with them.

I did hear from one of the group leaders yesterday that for some of you, being disorganized is not really your issue. You can't stop cleaning. First of all, I would like to invite you all to my house...I'll buy the pizza. Seriously, though, figure out why. Sometimes a need to constantly clean represents a need to be in control. Are you sacrificing time that your kids need you because you can't stop tidying up? Maybe you need some baby steps of setting the timer, clean for 30 minutes, then play with the kids. Be careful not to make the chores more important than the reason for the chores...our families.

Our homes are out thumbprints, our extensions of our ourselves. Because they involve other people's thumbprints as well, we need to become good at recognizing their needs as well. Ask the other members of your family what one thing would make them feel good in their home. For my husband, it is having the bed made...he''s been known to make it around me before he leaves for work. For Becky's husband, it is having the shoes put away instead of by the door. Simple stuff....Show them you love them by taking the time to show that their opinions matter.

Let us challenge you to make one change this week that would make your home flow better. For me it was cleaning the drawer by the telephone. Maybe next week it will  be the hall closet. What is your one thing?

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I'm done now...I have a four year old at the table waiting for me to play with him.