My husband has this affectionate little nick name he likes to call me as he is frantically searching for his keys, wallet, sunglasses or work pass. It's starts with "honey have you seen my...." followed by: "honey I love you but you are a "closet stuffer!". Gasp. Me?
When people come to my home they tell me how clean my house is. If they happen to say it while my husband is standing there, I watch him bite his lower lip. "Closet stuffer!"
After I had my second baby girl I felt like I could hardly keep up. She had some tummy issues that seemed to be soothed if I walked around the house with her in my arms for hours. The dishes piled high, the laundry seemed to mock me as it grew and the clutter from daily life overwhelmed me so I started stuffing things in closets and drawers. It worked beautifully because, well you know, out of sight out of mind. That is, until years later the stuff I stuffed was forgotten and now lost without a trace. If you walked into my house you would think this girl has it together. Look how her floors shine. But if you came in and opened a closet door you would have to run for your life before the avalanche would devour you whole. If you've ever felt overwhelmed as a mom, you can understand how having a disorganized house can cause a domino effect...constantly looking for long lost things, waisting time and energy trying to get organized, being too tired to see what bad habits you've gotten into.
Recently while on a walk with my daughter I found myself praying this prayer: "Dear Lord, please show me the things I am doing wrong."
My eyes were opened to the things that I needed to pay attention to in my family. Things I needed to change. He revealed the things I was doing wrong so that I could fix them.
I need to pray that prayer more often because it was supernatural the way I was able to tackle the things that seemed so overwhelming. Wow.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed as a mom, grandmother, wife? If you try and manage your life on your own with everything the world is throwing at you, you are bound to at some point feel overwhelmed. You might start to believe that the only way to make your life look presentable is to start "stuffing" away your problems. Trust me. Out of sight and out of mind can prolong the mess and make everything worse. Ask God for help. Ask him to show you what you need to see and watch as he points to those closets and drawers and sets you FREE.
2 corinthians: 5:17 All things have become new.
He takes our burdens. He restores. He gives new life.
