I was given the most wonderful gift today. My darling Mom payed for me to have a house cleaning lady come and clean my home. So first thing this morning Matt and I loaded up the kids, the cleaners arrived and I left my home to be cleaned… by someone else!! But better than leaving was coming home. We arrived home before they were finished so we spent a little bit playing out in the front yard. At one point one of the ladies (there were three) came out to empty the trashes and this wonderful fragrance of clean filled the garage. My three year old, Ava, turned to me and said, “What is that wonderful smell, Mommy?” I just laughed out loud at how sad a commentary it was on how often I have mopped my floors lately! At the end we walked into a beautifully clean home, and I just felt like weeping. I can’t imagine a better gift… or truthfully, a better use of that money.
I have never had someone clean my house (well, once 5 years ago right after I gave birth to Noah and couldn’t walk), but I have never had someone come and do what I am perfectly capable of doing. It always seems so frivolous and such a waste. And yet, as I stood in my beautiful, shining, fresh smelling house, I realized what a gift it is to not have to do everything yourself and to not have to take an entire day to do it. I just felt overwhelming gratitude, and peace, and just kept thinking, why don’t I do this for myself? Why does it have to be a gift from someone else? And then I remembered my blog from yesterday about frugality. I thought about the fact that if my heart isn’t in a place of rest and trust that even what seems “wise” can be stealing from me. So many times I am striving to do it all, and I think I sometimes miss what God has for me.
Amazingly, my Mom actually gave me this gift about four months ago and I am only just using it. So, standing in my living room I turned my heart toward the Lord and just repented. “Lord, I am sorry for not receiving the gift that you have given me sooner. Thank you for loving me so much that you pursue me with Your Goodness. Thank you for this gift, because every good thing comes from You. Help me not to get so caught up in my own wisdom that I miss Your Wisdom for my life.”
When Matt came home from work to this beautiful home and his beaming wife, he just looked at me and said, “we have to find a place in the budget for us to do this next month.” And I looked back at him and instead of my stubborn frugality kicking in I just smiled and said, “You’re right honey.”
Every good gift comes from our Father in heaven, sometimes we just have to let our guard down, and get over ourselves enough to let the good in.