Where's the House Elf?

Do you ever feel like house cleaning is a perpetual catch-up game and the other team is cheating? Boy-howdy, yes. Very seldom are the downstairs and upstairs of my apartment clean simultaneously. And let’s be real, these days they're rarely clean individually. As I type this, there’s laundry waiting to go back upstairs, a variety of papers heaped on my table, floors that probably don’t remember what a mop is, and toys scattered every few feet. Oh, and last night’s dinner (which flopped) is still on the stove.  On top of that, I definitely missed the whole spring cleaning thing this year. Between the flu, finals, and family in town for my little sister’s graduation, summer appeared and things like window tracks remain untouched. On occasions like this, my husband and I get up in the morning, blearily survey the mess, and ask what the house elf is doing with all his time. 

Well, we’re halfway through June and I’m done waiting for the house elf to magically appear. I’ve put together a chore chart for myself and I’m really excited to start on it. I’m so thankful for God’s abundant grace in things like chores. It’s often the little things that overwhelm me most. If I’m not on my guard, I can get pretty waspish. The dishes take three hours because someone needs a change, a friend needs a listening ear, my little girl just needs some Mama time. Any of these things can throw me into a funk. But God is teaching me that I have to hold everything with an open hand, even cleaning my house. 

I’m floored when I look at the Proverbs 31 woman. She’s amazing. She stays up late, wakes up early, feeds her family, trains her children, invests in real estate, runs a vineyard, AND does it all with the law of kindness on her tongue. Talk about being humbled and inspired. 

So here’s a baby step: my cleaning schedule. I know I’ll be adjusting as I go and that, some days, stuff just won’t get done, but I can’t wait to jump in!