My, my, my…. I feel like a year has passed during our “31 Days to Clean Challenge”. We are finally at the end! Our 31 days to clean challenge was based on the ebook 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae. 31 Days to Clean is about the “why”, the vision and the heart for taking care of our homes. (It took me waaay longer than 31 days—just sayin’!)
The lessons for Days 30 and 31 focused on finding contentment in your current season of life and balancing it all.
Having young children, a busy work schedule, caring for a sick parent or even periodic low moods may affect our ability to have everything neatly organized and beautifully decorated. Being the perfect homemaker, wife, or parent and crossing everything off of our to-do lists is NOT the goal.
Even with the best intentions, I have to remember imperfect progress. “Imperfect progress” is a term I learned from Lysa Terkeurst that means slow steps of change wrapped in grace. I just LOVE that.
I recently returned from a cruise with my fitness business (YAY!). As relaxing as the trip was, getting back into the swing of things at home has been brutal. I feel like the holidays are crushing in on me. We just celebrated my daughter’s birthday and attended an out of town graduation. Uggh.
So much to do, so little time. (Shopping, holiday celebrations and REGULAR HOUSEWORK.) I have found myself looking forward to December 26th!
Since returning from my trip, I have been so tired yet I continue to do more while snapping at my family. After becoming overwhelmed, I remembered the vision that I want for my home: for it to be a place of encouragement where my family can bounce back from the world. Bouncing back from the trip, my daughter’s birthday party, the graduation, PTA, and laundry means I need rest.
Some stuff is just not going to get done this year. If I tried to ra-ra myself to do some holiday baking right about now, I know I would be talking grit-teethed and slamming pots within five minutes. I am exhausted.
Sarah Mae asked and then answered a great question in the day 31 lesson: “What keeps a household running well and in balance? Love.”
Our homes and lives run well and are able to be more in balance when they are filtered through love. Perfection is NOT the goal.
What is your vision for your home?
How can you filter your Christmas activities in love?
1 Corinthians 16:14 —Do everything in love.
This post is part of a weekly meme hosted by Shell at Things I Can’t Say.
See you guys in 2013! I am gonna REST!
I’m stopping by from Pour Your Heart Out and I’m following you now!
I hear you loud and clear when it comes to keeping a house, exhaustion and the holidays, but love is the one thing that can make things right, even if the laundry is piling up!
Love IS the one thing that we can filter everything through that will make it all right! Thank you so much for visiting!
Love. It’s that simple. So perfect.