One of the things I get from my mother is the desire to start & complete a project in the same day, no matter how big it is... for fear that if we stop working on it, we'll never start again. Inevitably, we push ourselves to exhaustion and subconsciously program ourselves to not want to start that project again - because we were so exhausted by it the last time!
I'm thankful to be living with Daniel, with his much more logical male brain. I was a little surprised on Saturday when he came home from working a 9+ hour day and was ready to do some yard work. When I look at the yard full of leaves and bushes that need trimming and plants that need to be planted and others replanted... and compost that needs to be spread and twigs that need to be picked up... I see the whole job, and I wonder how in the world will we ever find the time to take care of this mess?
The same way you eat an elephant - one bite at a time... We put in a good hour of yard work, made a nice dent in the mountains of leaves that threaten to overtake our sidewalk and driveway. And then we went inside and relaxed a bit.
It feels that way when I look at the inside of our house also.
My stuff + his stuff + wedding presents = not enough space in our house
We are gradually wading through the items we have (when I say we - it's mostly me because I have the most stuff), deciding what is non-essential and getting rid of it in favor of having space to live in. It's so easy to hold onto items because of various attachments we have to them
- memories associated with the location we purchased it
- the person who gave it to us
- how long we've had it for
- or maybe it's that favorite zip up red sweatshirt I have that the color is fading and there are holes starting in the sleeves and I can't bear to give it away, but I also find myself hesitant to wear it because it makes me look slightly homeless (can you look slightly homeless?)
I don't want to be so attached to my stuff that it takes away from living my life. I don't want to have a home filled with items, making it difficult to keep the house clean and to have people over, to be unable to find what I know I have (possibly have at least 2 of) so I need to go out and buy another one... cluttering things up even more. I don't want to accumulate physical things. They're all so temporary. I want to live with what's essential and to be as loosely tied to this world as possible.
It forces me to approach shopping in a different way. I enjoy shopping and purchasing new items and imagining the possibilities that go along with the new items. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but if I'm honest with myself that's what I do. I see a cute shirt and think how nice it'll look on me (even though I already have plenty of nice shirts). Or there's a new pan or kitchen gadget that will help me prepare something new and different to eat (even though I could probably make it with what I already own). I remember when my cousin Beth bought a Jeep and said she was so excited about getting it, thinking - this will be great, we'll go off-roading and camping and all sort of fun outdoors stuff. With a shake of her head she said - no, it's not true. It doesn't matter what you buy - you're still the same person.
I try to remember to ask myself some questions when I'm shopping. Do I really need this? Do I have something already that can perform this task for me? Do I have space to keep this (that answer is almost always no right now!)? Is there something I can bear to part with to make the space to have this?
Looking in my closets, you wouldn't think that I wrote this blog. Most of them are a scattered mess... but we're getting there... gradually.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Teaching about Jesus' Burial to 2-4 year olds
I love kids. I find them generous with their love and forgiveness and highly entertaining. I feel like every week they do or say something hilarious. The other week, Miss Jean was encouraging the kids to say a prayer before they get out of bed in the morning. Very seriously, one of the boys raised his hand and with worry and confusion on his face, said "But I have bunk beds!" She assured him it was okay, that God hears prayers from bunk beds too.
Teaching Sunday School holds so many benefits for me. It challenges me to condense spiritual concepts into teachings that 2-4 and 5-7 year olds (depending on the week) can grasp. Granted, I often feel as though I've fallen short of that task.
Have you ever tried to hold the attention of a 2-4 year old for 10 minutes, keeping them sitting and listening?
The 5-7 year olds are a little easier to teach (for me, at least).
But I find myself mentally checking what I say to them. They are so formative at that age, and the things they are hearing in Sunday School (if they're paying attention, that is) are building part of their spiritual base of knowledge.
The last thing I want them to walk out of Sunday School thinking is "if I'm good, God will love me and I'll go to heaven." Granted, that is not a concept we ever desire to teach - salvation is based on Jesus' sacrifice and on grace. But try teaching that to a 5 year old! Sometimes it's easier than others, but it causes me to be so much more careful with my words and my examples and my applications.
And I fall short in praying about my times of teaching. I won't be able to break through to them or see what's going on in their cute little brains or if they're getting the Biblical concept I'm trying to explain to them. Only the Holy Spirit can do that and guide them into truth.
We've been working through the Bible over the past 2 years with them, using the curriculum He Has Spoken By His Son, put out by John Piper's ministry Children Desiring God
The biggest challenge of late has been Jesus' crucifixion, death (this week) and resurrection (next week).
How do you teach to children what Christ endured on the cross for us? How much is too much information for these little ones? How do you explain to a 3 year old that Jesus had nails driven through His hands and feet, endured an agonizing death... to save men from eternal damnation?
And then this week... we continue to talk about death... and His burial (see Matthew 27:57-66 Luke 23:50-56 John 19:38-42 ) I really don't like talking to kids about death. I don't like making them sad and focusing on the destructive force of sin in this world. But it's truth and reality and something they will face more and more as they age. I also feel the pressure of teaching them correctly, of not mishandling the word of God.
I am thankful for a church committed to the Bible, to teaching it's whole truth. I am thankful to be teaching with other women of God who have these same desires. I am thankful to be challenged to put spiritual concepts into simpler terms for the little ones to understand. It challenges me to better understand them.
Teaching Sunday School holds so many benefits for me. It challenges me to condense spiritual concepts into teachings that 2-4 and 5-7 year olds (depending on the week) can grasp. Granted, I often feel as though I've fallen short of that task.
Have you ever tried to hold the attention of a 2-4 year old for 10 minutes, keeping them sitting and listening?
The 5-7 year olds are a little easier to teach (for me, at least).
But I find myself mentally checking what I say to them. They are so formative at that age, and the things they are hearing in Sunday School (if they're paying attention, that is) are building part of their spiritual base of knowledge.
The last thing I want them to walk out of Sunday School thinking is "if I'm good, God will love me and I'll go to heaven." Granted, that is not a concept we ever desire to teach - salvation is based on Jesus' sacrifice and on grace. But try teaching that to a 5 year old! Sometimes it's easier than others, but it causes me to be so much more careful with my words and my examples and my applications.
And I fall short in praying about my times of teaching. I won't be able to break through to them or see what's going on in their cute little brains or if they're getting the Biblical concept I'm trying to explain to them. Only the Holy Spirit can do that and guide them into truth.
We've been working through the Bible over the past 2 years with them, using the curriculum He Has Spoken By His Son, put out by John Piper's ministry Children Desiring God
The biggest challenge of late has been Jesus' crucifixion, death (this week) and resurrection (next week).
How do you teach to children what Christ endured on the cross for us? How much is too much information for these little ones? How do you explain to a 3 year old that Jesus had nails driven through His hands and feet, endured an agonizing death... to save men from eternal damnation?
And then this week... we continue to talk about death... and His burial (see Matthew 27:57-66 Luke 23:50-56 John 19:38-42 ) I really don't like talking to kids about death. I don't like making them sad and focusing on the destructive force of sin in this world. But it's truth and reality and something they will face more and more as they age. I also feel the pressure of teaching them correctly, of not mishandling the word of God.
I am thankful for a church committed to the Bible, to teaching it's whole truth. I am thankful to be teaching with other women of God who have these same desires. I am thankful to be challenged to put spiritual concepts into simpler terms for the little ones to understand. It challenges me to better understand them.
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