The Plain Way

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. Proverbs 15:19

The book of Proverbs has so much to say about a slothful (lazy) person! The idea in this verse is that the lazy person is going to find some reason (excuse) not to get the job done. She may have her morning routine all laid out, with a nice to-do list all ready for her, but when it comes right down to doing it . . . she finds some reason not to! And then decides this plan doesn't work for her after all.

The "righteous" person (which here I believe would be the one with the right heart motives), on the other hand, will make her routines and lists and then dig in and get them done. She'll plan her work and work her plan.

I have to admit that many times I'm just plain lazy. I know FlyLady tells us we aren't lazy, but I know deep in my heart that a lot of times I am. I have my lists, my routines, my Control Journal - all the plans - but I simply don't work the plan. That's why FlyLady will say "Just get off your franny and do SOMETHING. Anything is better than nothing at all." So today, instead of making excuses about why we can't do our routines or this FlyLady thing just won't work, let's just give it a try. Plan your work . . . then work that plan!

In All Labour . . .

Pro 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury (poverty).

We can sit and read about FlyLady's system (or any other, for that matter) all day, but until we get up and do something, there's no profit from it. In all labour there is profit: housework done incorrectly still blesses our families!

More on Taking Care of Yourself

I've been thinking more about taking care of ourselves. I consider taking care of yourself to be taking care of your basic needs, such as good food in proper portions, getting some exercise, getting some spiritual refreshment each day, and getting proper amounts of rest. Sitting on the sofa all afternoon reading a novel is not what I'm talking about! I consider taking care of myself as doing the things for myself that I would do for my dh or children. I insist that my children eat well and rest enough - I should do that for myself. I schedule checkups for them. I see that they take medicine when they need it. I take my children to church and see to their spiritual needs. I should do no less for myself.

There are times when we need to buckle down and give more time to others and forget about ourselves completely, such as when someone is sick or working overtime for you or dh, but overall, we can take better care of ourselves if we put our minds to it and make the time. You can Finally Love Yourself . . . and love your family in the process. You're the only YOU that they have!

A Couple of Biblical Principles

Did you know that FlyLady's instruction to bless others with the things we don't need, use, or consider beautiful is a principle in Scripture? Consider these verses that I read this morning in Proverbs:

Pro 11:24,25 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Sound familiar? Have you experienced the joy of giving something away that you don't need, to find that it was exactly what someone else needed? It's one of the paradoxes of Scripture - give and it shall be given you; he that watereth shall be watered also himself; whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. So give freely and be a blessin to others around you.

How about this:

Pro 11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

How many times has FlyLady said to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your family? I've heard other Christians dismiss FlyLady's acronym of Finally Loving Yourself as the result of the Me generation; everything is about taking care of #1. Well, I do happen to believe that many people seek to take care of their own needs first, including many wives and mothers, to the detriment of their families. I also believe that my calling in life is to take care of my husband, children, and home. I do believe that Jesus taught putting others first, denying myself in order to serve them. All my life I've been taught that putting others first means ignoring myself. However, I've come to see that if I don't take care of myself that I won't be able to take care of my family. There's a fine line here. If I don't eat right, I'll gain weight, my diabetes will get out of control, and I'll be too sick to care for my family before I'm 45. If I don't get enough rest, I'm too cranky to be patient with my children, and I hurt our relationship by being short with them. If I don't take a couple of hours occasionally, with my husband's blessing, to do something by myself to recharge my emotional batteries, I get overwhelmed and discouraged, which affects how well I care for my family. So there is merit in taking care of ourselves; the very families we are trying to serve will be hurt if we don't. We'll be living the verse above - troubling our own flesh. So be good to yourself, not putting yourself first for selfish reasons, but to make sure you're able to care for your family, with God's help and blessing. Even Jesus and his disciples took times apart to refresh!