You Know You’re Getting Old When…

…You can’t WAIT to get to Friday night so that you can clean your house and organize your tasks for the upcoming week!

photo credit 123RF.com

Yes, friends, that is me. Strange, alien, old me. And I kid you not – I truly AM excited about this! (If this sounds like you too, then we can be strange, old, aliens together – smile).

I have been “picking up” the clutter in the house every night in the short hour I have before going to bed, but I have been unable to clean this week with the schedule I have been keeping. And I don’t really like that. At all.

Next week will be far worse, as I have the full time training schedule M-F, then the entire weekend is packed with conferences/training, and work at the church. So I must make the most of the time I do have this weekend. And I’m a’gonna do it!

Although I could write another blog post regarding a different aspect or perspective on this – such as the need to “let go” because I have deep-seated control issues – this one will not be that way. Because I did let go! (Of that, at least – ha ha)

And, yes – we can talk later about how I have been still “working on” letting go with joy too, because although I let go of the cleaning, I truly did not “let go and like it.”

But today’s post is going to be about the fact that I get to celebrate “getting to do” these things this weekend. I get to celebrate that I did let go, with God’s help, and that He is using that to change my perspective and I get to feel like it’s even more of a treat to be given the time to clean and organize stuff. I guess that’s how it always should be, right? We should always appreciate being able to do our tasks with joy unto the Lord.

(Rubbing my little hands together right now, folks!)

Photo Credit 123RF.com

I shall appreciate the things that sometimes, we can feel are a drudgery, a “have to” in life, or a what at other times seems like-a what-a-boring-way-to-spend-the-weekend kind of outlook.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” Colossians 3:23

Here is just a partial list of what I cannot wait to start doing tomorrow night when I get off work and complete my workout at the gym!

• Vacuum the entire house
  Clean and polish the appliances
  Clean all the counters!
  Dust with good smelling stuff!
  Do ALL the laundry – whoo hoo!
  Teach my kids(if they are around) how to do some laundry stuff
  Organize all the mail, bills, and my appointment calendar
  Purge emails I didn’t get to read
  Catch up on emails I need to write
  Watch some of the funny you tube videos my kids like with them
  Work out at the gym with husband all three days of the weekend!
  Create a few blog post ideas and save them
  Read some in the books I have going right now.
  Read through all the training material I received this week
  Go through the women’s counseling training materials for the church
  Watch a funny show or movie with the family
  Clean the bathrooms until they sparkle
  Check facebook
  Plan out my daily devotions for next week!

There is an upside to getting “old” I guess, isn’t there? We are better able, in some ways, to find joy in the little things such as this. I love a clean house and organized stuff. I love the feel of being able to have our surroundings nice so we can de-clutter our minds, thoughts, hearts, and distractions. Let’s face it – some of us are just not those types who can fully press in to the things that are most important when all this other stuff is piling up around us.

Photo Credit http://www.Christart.com

It is true we need to let go and let God. This is especially true when we are truly pressed for time for things that take precedence over a clean house, or organized bills, and daytimers. But it is also true that we have tasks and responsiblities in our lives and things to get done outside of our lives at work. And the Lord calls us to complete those tasks as long as they don’t get in the way of our time with Him, time spent loving others, and our priorities are aligned with His will.

When the Lord does provide an opportunity for us to maximize the rest of our time by spending a bit of it on getting things into place so that we aren’t distracted by it all, I think we should jump on that and do it with joy in our hearts.

So this old gal is going to go down the list this weekend and love every minute of it. At least I’m not so old that I can’t work the vacuum any longer, right?

If you are in a similar situation this weekend, I pray that you can find joy in taking care of the little things that have piled up during the week, minimize distractions for the upcoming week, and use it as time to celebrate in Him, communicate with Him, and spend time praising Him.

We can praise the Lord in all circumstances, even while cleaning or organzing things, can’t we? And we can rest assured that to Him, that never gets “old.”

Photo Credit http://www.Christart.com

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops;  Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his warriors,  Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you morning stars; Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly rain clouds;  Praise, oh let them praise the name of God –  he spoke the word, and there they were!  He set them in place from all time to eternity; He gave his orders, and that’s it! Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;  Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying his orders;  Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests;  Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and birds in flight;  Earth’s kings and all races, leaders and important people,  Robust men and women in their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children.  Let them praise the name of God –  it’s the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; he’s built a monument – his very own people! Praise from all who love God! Israel’s children, intimate friends of God. Hallelujah! Psalm 148 The Message

PhotoCredit http://www.Christart.com

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