Ever have those days where you feel like no one cares about the things you care about?
I am having one of those weeks.
And what’s sad about it is the thing I am most obsessed with right now is the fact that no one seems to care about keeping the house clean but me.
And then I go through the “why bother” stage myself since even when I attempt to keep things in order, five minutes later someone spills something, throws the pillows off the couch, tracks dirt in the house, or decides that it takes emptying the entire dresser of clothing to find one thing to wear.
And then I get mad. And ugly. Because I want someone to care besides me. I want someone else to want to come home to a clean and tidy house. And the thing is, they all like it when it is clean and tidy, but they don’t want to do the work necessary to make it (or keep it) that way.
There’s the huffs from the husband when you ask him to help. There’s the tears from the kids when you tell them, “No, your room is not even close to clean yet.” And frankly, I don’t know which I hate worse – the mess or the hassle of dealing with people who don’t get it.
But then I have to ask myself, is this how the Lord feels about my heart? Are there times when He is trying to keep it cleaned up and I am not doing my part? And the answer is, “probably.”
And in the midst of that, does God get frustrated with me? No, he offers grace.
And since I am to be like Christ, I need to offer grace as well.
So as I clean my house today (with the “help” of my children), I will remember that the grace I receive I also need to give.
(And I will continue to hope and pray that one day my children will learn how to keep their rooms clean. Before they move out of my house.)
What are the areas of your life where you need to be reminded to offer grace?