Weekly Chores for Life and a Free Printable

Weekly Contributor, Kim Brenneman


What do you think about while you do your work? Where are your thoughts while you’re washing the dishes? Folding the laundry? Vacuuming the floors? Today I stumbled upon this in my stash of good stuff to read. I think it deserves to be printed on nice paper, framed and hung in a place of daily viewing.

You can view and print a ready-to-print copy here: Click to view printable or copy and paste to your own document.

WEEKLY CHORES FOR LIFE

Author unknown

Monday - Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday - Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday- Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday - Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday - Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may bless my family with contentment and happiness and all others in need of love.

Saturday - Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday - The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.




When we go about our work we must not see it as a horrid chore...

“Grin and bear it.”
“Grit your teeth.”
“Just get it over with.”

We should see that work as an opportunity to talk to God about life.

I really don’t like to do laundry. I like it done but I don’t like the process of doing it. When we have to do the unpleasant work we should use it as a time of prayer and thanksgiving. “Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility.”

Every day and every minute of every day we should be praying. It is the will of God for us to do that.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How do we do this? Is it practical? I say, yes. It is a habit of the mind. Instead of talking to ourselves, talk to Jesus. When you have a question, ask Him. If you run into a little problem, “Help me please.” And always, “Thank you Jesus.”

Do you know someone, or are you this person, who is caught up in a cycle of depressing thoughts? Perhaps it is about an event or maybe a series of bad things that are a part of her history but she has a litany going on in her head of these bad things. When she opens her mouth it all comes spilling out, rehearsed in her head a million times. She’s stuck in a spot, a habit of “Poor me.”

Or, a person or place can trigger a series of unpleasant memories that start to roll around in our mind. Anger builds yet again at that person. “Help me, my Savior.” “O God, give me the grace.” “Dear Lord, help me.” Talking to Jesus, giving it to Him, turning our thoughts around is the way to overcome habits of the mind that bring us down.

When we’re having a day when it all seems to be going wrong, everything we touch falls apart, we say, “O God, give me the grace.” He will help you. He will show you His mercy. He will bless you through someone else. Your problems may not be instantly solved but you will know His presence with you when you start talking to Him.

Sadly, drama sometimes finds its way to our front door. Family, neighborhood, church, work—drama seems to happen everywhere. “He said,” “She said,” “Can you believe...” “And then...” “She did?” Add to this some “analyzers” and you get all sorts of diagnoses and names for the sins in the drama and why the drama unfolded.

Then there are the players that tweak the drama a little bit higher with some wide eyes and “I heard...” “Did you hear?” “It’s terrible!” “Can you imagine?” “Lord help us all!” The “ambulance chasers” feel the need to “help” in some sort of sick reflected glory sort of way.

How do you stop thinking about and getting sucked into the titillating sordidness?

Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 1 Timothy 5:13

Stay home (including the internet and phone).
Be busy at home (get busy in a home and family project).
And renew your mind.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

In reading the rest of the Ephesians passage we learn what the focus of our renewed mind should be on. When we focus on good we can’t be thinking about evil. The two are not compatible. There can be no darkness where there is light. Where the light of Jesus shines there is agape love.

And when we’re doing our work we ought to be in prayer for our husbands, our children, our extended families, our church, our friends and neighbors, our community, our country, on and on... When something comes to mind, turn it over to God and pray about it. The thing that comes to mind does not have to be a problem in order to pray over it. It could be a thanksgiving or blessing.

Pray that we would be a blessing on all those we serve everyday with the work we do day in and day out. And as we work let’s pray that God would work on us.

Blessings,

Kim Brenneman

Kim is the joyful wife of Matt and the blessed mother of nine children.

When not busy homeschooling and farmschooling, she enjoys writing, gardening, cooking, reading, sewing, and crafting.

Kim lives on a farm in Iowa where her family grows beef cattle, corn and beans, and operates a micro-dairy selling cheese at farmer’s markets. She loves to write and speak about her passion for home and family. She is the author of Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. She blogs about the same subject at:
http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com.

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The Joy of Marriage & Motherhood - And a Titus 2sday Linkup!

I put a question out to the ladies on the facebook group the other day, and as the answers began to roll in I started tearing up. I was so blessed reading each and every one of the comments, and if you haven't seen them yet--I think that you will be too.

I asked them, "What is your greatest joy in being a wife or a mom or both?"

Mine is the comfort of home. There is nothing like it. Knowing that I have a place where I can be "me" and I'm loved. Praising God for His gift of family!

Now, here is what my readers had to say,
Knowing that I am married to a man of faith, who prays for me and loves the Lord. ~ Ida

Knowing it's exactly where God wants me!! And all of your statement, too! ~ Arron

Welcoming my husband back into our home after a long deployment. I love making our home into a retreat of sorts for him (well...a retreat with art projects toys and bedtimes). ~ Juliana

In addition to your comment, I'd have to say the smiles and cuddles from hubby and kiddos. While it can be exhausting at times, it makes the late nights and hard work worth it to see them happy and taken care of! ~ One Small Town Girl

Knowing no matter how badly I think I've failed, I have a husband who loves and supports me and beautiful children who are true blessings. The good days are easy....this gets me through the not so good ones. ~ Melissa

Laughing together. God gave me the family I didn't have as a child. ~ Just Jules

What you said! ~ Anita

Snuggling with my kids-no matter how hard the day was or how many times I might have felt like I was losing it, when I get to cuddle with them before bed, those precious moments make it all worth it. ~ Noelle

Having a man who loves me and I know it and don't ever have to wonder about if he loves me or not. Being a Mom it's being able to be home with them, tucking them in at night etc. Loving the life God has given me. ~ Mary Beth

They are both wonderful, being a wife, mom.... love being surrounded by my family (insane as it may be at times).... but being a grandma - now that just pulls it all together. A lapful of grandkids - and kids and spouse all around. A full house. ~ Claudette

Getting chocolate faced kisses and jelly covered hands hugging me tight. I love when my husband comes home in the evenings, puts his arms around me and kisses me! It truly is the simple things for me!!! ~ Stephanie

I think Just Jules said exactly how I feel also! Making the memories with my children that I never had in childhood! Wonderful! ~ Hailey

The love from my amazing children!!!! Best feeling ever! ~ Rachel

I agree with what u said. Beautifully put! Somewhere I'm accepted even when I'm not perfect. I hope I make my family feel the acceptance in our home that they give to me! ~ Amy

I love my eight children but when my husband comes home (he works out of town currently) and hugs me and takes a deep, deep breath and says, "I'm sooo glad to be home"...that makes me feel like I am the center of the universe. The man loves me:-). ~ Generational Womanhood

Amen! Home Sweet Home, there is no place like HOME…My family loves the Lord, and I have great JOY. We Homeschool our children and my husband loves coming home, I am blessed. ~ Hilda

It's amazing.... it's the same stuff that makes us all tick and that make us *sigh* that happy, content sigh. I've been married 20 years, and I still *love* that moment hubby walks through the door, hugs me and sighs, 'Oh, it's soooo good to be home. Like Generational Womanhood (above), I feel I'm centre of the universe. And my kids - right up to my 18-year-old boy - turning to me for no apparent reason and saying, 'I love you, Mum'. I wouldn't swap my world ....for the world! ~ Homeschool on the Croft

My greatest joy in being a wife is the feeling of being a part of a team - of everyday waking beside my love and knowing that by God's grace we will be able to make a difference in someone's life. My greatest joy in being a mom of grown kids is to see God working in their lives - to see them put God at the center of their lives, see them serving Him, and know that all the times I messed up as a mom, HE covered it. All things are grace. ~ Encourage Your Spouse

“Just Jules” hit the nail on the head! Making memories and creating traditions with my boys. Knowing my husband loves me, the broken me. No matter what. Looking back, recognizing the He orchestrated it all, and everso thankful. ~ Carrie

Laughter and making memories. ~ Amy

Wife - Mom, both but in that order... My Jim-dear loves me no matter how ugly I am for that time. I have been known to act quite ugly, I don't want to but I have... Sigh. He loves me any way just like HE loves me always. ~ Cynthia

Greatest joy being married for almost 18 years to the man God gave me, loving each other more and more every day, Growing together in the Lord. Loving our children, and watching them grow, and loving us back, and loving the Lord. There is so much more! ~ Kathleen S.

Knowing that I'm doing God's will. Before I was married, before I learned that being a wife and possibly a mom were perfectly acceptable ways to "spend" one's life, I was seriously confused by my feminist upbringing. After I graduated from college, I seriously considered going to law school and even running for public office because I wanted to have a positive impact on the world. I figured I could only do that if I was out there effecting some political change in favor of the "oppressed." But, deep down, I really just wanted to be a wife and mom - however, I truly felt that God would be disappointed with me if I didn't do more, something more visible. I then met my husband-to-be and began attending his church where I learned that being a wife and mother are the highest and most noble callings a woman can have. There is true joy in knowing that I'm right in the center of His will when I live purposefully to help and support my husband and rear the five children He so graciously gave me in a redemptive, Christ-centered fashion. God is so good to make His will known to us through His word and then give us the grace, the enabling, to carry it out. ~ Kathleen D.

My greatest joy is creating a haven for my family. A place of comfort, whether it’s in our home or just my arms, they know they have a place to go for comfort, somewhere warm and inviting that's always available and open. ~ Stephanie

It is the same for me. ~ Autumn Lee

Mine is knowing I am exactly where God wants me to be. So many people are looking for their place in this world and I know exactly where mine is - at home. ~ Happy Wives Club

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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Today and every Tuesday, I want to invite bloggers to link-up any blog posts that will encourage women to joyfully live out their roles as wives and keepers of their homes I'm looking for posts on marriage, parenting, housekeeping, or recipes.

1. Enter the direct link from your post into the linky tool below!

2. Please link back here with the {TITUS 2}SDAYS code (below) so that other bloggers can join in too!

3. Enjoy each other's fellowship, and have fun!

FAQ:
Can I use an old post, or do I need to use a current one?You can absolutely use an older post if you feel that the post is a great fit for this meme. Have fun!

<a href="http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFVkPRxDXs7GaNNaxIYnodArf7CO5U9_6R11ECTIyBoo9k-X8eX06D_quh-uSInbTrPDUhzbPCKwD6OhK9qPTckQ8hUS9bTWC__AlxPJC27dOsVN0nXvjhAIJL5hbU0eqq2K42H-3TbA/s1600/Titus_2sdays_button.png" /></a>

How to Be Happy on the Bluest of Days

Are there days when things get under your skin and you say, “Why me?” Does it seem like the minute everything is going great, it all comes apart?"

Maybe it’s difficulty with your family or friends, perhaps it’s your husband’s attitude, or maybe it’s something as small as a traffic jam. Irritations whether big or small have a way of spoiling an otherwise beautiful day. Don’t they?

So how do we fix it? How can we make our world a better place so that we’ll be happy within it?

The answer is--we can’t and we shouldn't expect to.

There will be days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and wish you could crawl back in. There will be people who disappoint you so badly that all you’re left with are the shattered pieces of your heart. There will be pain, there will be loss, and there will be tears. But God in His wisdom is good.

Have you ever wondered why God cursed Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter three?


I will greatly multiply thy sorrow
and thy conception… cursed is the
ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt
thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring
forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the
herb of the field.
~ Genesis 3:16-19 (paraphrased)


We know that the curse is the result of man's sin. And why then are we, who are forgiven of sin, still living the curse?

Because the curse is a constant reminder that we are in desperate need of salvation. It was designed with a purpose--put there for our good—so that we might understand our need for a saviour.

We can’t change the world around us completely, but we can change the way we relate to it so that while we’re riding the waves, we keep an even keel.

All too often we have that reversed. We spend all of our energy focussed on changing our surroundings so that we’ll feel better, happier, content, and relaxed--when the reality is that this peace comes from within. No one can take that away, unless you give them that power. We develop that sense of inner peace when we trust in our saviour, the same way that the disciples learned to trust Him in the storm.


And there arose a great storm of wind,
and the waves beat into the ship,
so that it was now full. And he was
in the hinder part of the ship, asleep
on a pillow: and they awake him, and
say unto him, Master, carest thou not
that we perish? And he arose, and
rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased,
and there was a great calm.
~ Mark 4:37-39


You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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How Do You Present Yourself?

It’s often been said that we should start the day off with a good breakfast, but for many women the day starts long before we even make it to the kitchen. We look in the mirror, either put on our robes or shower and dress, and we might greet several members of our family before we even sit down to eat.

Since we're the first thing they see, it’s important to consider how we are presenting ourselves to them.

A good friend once told me that she’s made it a personal goal of hers to greet her children in the morning with a smile on her face. She believes that the attitude that she starts the day off with has a great impact on her family. When she gave me this advice, I started to ask myself what my children were seeing first thing in the morning. Let me tell you, it wasn’t a pretty sight! So I took those words of wisdom to heart by applying them to my morning routine.

What boy wouldn’t like being greeted by a warm voice calling out, “Good morning sweetie!” along with a reminder of the good things the day holds for his life? They all would. What girl wouldn’t love to lift a lid only to find breakfast being served to her in bed by Mom and her brothers? I can’t think of one.

Just yesterday my daughter woke me up with a cup of tea and some danish cinnamon cookies. We all love that kind of reception in the morning, don't we? As a matter of fact we like it 24/7.

Terry Maxwell, author of Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit wrote, “I am the one holding the keys to the atmosphere in our home.” That’s a powerful statement, and one I believe to be true.

Consider Christ the foundational groundwork in your home, and build upon that foundation with a gentle, and humble heart that draws your family near.

It’s often said; “When Momma’s happy, the family is happy,” so let that happiness pour out as a gift to God, to yourself, and to your family.





This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
~ Psalm 118:24

If you don’t feel that you have joy--then pray. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning that when the Spirit of God is living and moving in your life, that joy will naturally flow.

I'm not offering a Pollyanna attitude to women with clinical depression as I have seen the effects of that first hand in my family, but rather I speak to those women who see the world through the murky haze of a glass half empty. If you haven’t given your attitude over to God then you’re missing out on one of the greatest gifts that God offers in your Christian walk--joy.

And upon that joy--add virtue. Allow Him to use you in every way, including the way you choose you attitude.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people,
holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
~ Colossians 3:12, NIV


You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

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In participation with:

Born to Heaven

Darlene,

I watched your interview with Amy. It was excellent!

Did I hear you say that you had five miscarriages? I have had two and today I got news that it looks like I am having my third. I will not know for a few days as I did blood work again today. I had an ultrasound today and they don't see a heartbeat. I think I am earlier than they think, but who knows.

How did you survive five and still want to get pregnant again? I don't know that I can survive three. I know God is in control and He knows best, but it really does hurt.

Sara

Sara

Oh, Sara, I am so sorry for you. I’m heartbroken, and my spirit longs for your joy to return.

Yeah, I lost five. One was at five months along and I had to carry the deceased baby around for about a week because it wouldn't miscarry itself. That threw me into a deep depression. Not that I was sad over the miscarriage necessarily, but because it was so hard on my body.

And there is always day three. Day three after a miscarriage you have post-partum depression—at least I did every time. My husband became the enemy and I was grumpy.

Miscarriages are a strange thing. When I finally lost one on Christmas day, a hospital worker said to me. "God loves this child so much that he wants it in heaven with him. He is at the birthday party of our Lord." That’s when I started to think of those children as real kids. I have nine--five born to heaven.

It’s a tough walk, and a heart-wrenching experience to go through, but in many cases we do find they come along with a blessing in disguise. My niece had so much trouble with miscarriage and infertility that she was forced to adopt.

When their first son, Tyler was born on her birthday we knew it was nothing less than a God thing. If it wasn't for the trouble she had endured, adoption wouldn't have been a consideration for her and perhaps Tyler and his brother Jessie wouldn't be where they are today.

I’m not suggesting that adoption is your option at this point, because I really don’t know God’s path for you. Miscarriages are common, and having three doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t go on to having a dozen healthy kids. Following my five miscarriages I had three more children born to this world.

It's hard to see past the pain in search of God's plan, but remember that He holds that baby in the palm of His hand whether he's born to earth or born to this world. That is your child. You are a mom, and I'm proud of you because of the motherly love that you have. Don't ever let anyone make those unborn children feel less important to you. They are your babies, and your gift from God.

You can also read my article "Sacred Sorrow," which is an account of my own experience, and offers a few more thoughts on the topic.

My prayers are with you. Don't give up hope, and don't give up trying. After one born to earth, and five born to heaven, I had three more. That's nine children in total. I’m blessed, as are you!

I'm praying for you and the health of this baby.

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
~ Psalm 126:5&6, NIV

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

Remembering Dad

I still remember the day when I could barely hold the orange pencil that I carried over to my father. After taking a small carving knife from the yellow drawer in the kitchen, he sat in his chair at the red arborite table where he whittled the pencil and told a story from his past. His words captivated my soul while my body shook with laughter.

“Haven’t you ever been embarrassed, Dad?” I asked, with wide-eyed wonderment while I giggled behind my little hand.

“Only once,” he said blushing, “in grade two, when I asked a girl something I shouldn’t have...” His strong hands moved effortlessly with the wood while the story came to life. “Never worry about tomorrow,” he said placing the sharpened pencil in my hand, “just laugh about today. God will take care of the rest.”

I’ll always remember how the soft pink eraser smelled like the rubber soles of his shiny black shoes, and the freshly sharpened wood smelled like the dust of his workshop.

Centered in the long hallway of that house stood a cupboard, where inside lay a stack of fresh white paper. Each sheet held a life of it’s own within it’s magical fibers. That night, before resting my head on the white pillowcase, I waved my magic pencil over the canvas, bringing the paper to life with each mark I made.

Pictures of beautiful women in long flowing gowns, with honey colored hair and raspberry cheeks, filled the papers over time, reflecting my dreams of the future and what it would hold.

I longed for the day when I’d gallop away on a white horse with a handsome man who would take me far away to his palace. There we would embrace the joy of our children, until the time came to tuck them into bed.

Several years later, I found myself standing under a stream of urine at 3 am. It sprayed from the top bunk from which my daughter dangled—half in and half out of a dream world. While I sputtered and screamed and searched for the light switch, Madison made her way down the ladder. Like a drunken cat running from a bath, she left the room and locked herself in the bathroom.

It took me a while to coax her to open the door, but finally she did—wet and cold and confused. After I put clean pajamas on her and wiped up the floor, I held her in my arms for one more hug.

“I’m sorry, Mamma, she whispered, with her face buried into my chest.

Lowering my head closer to hers, I said, “Honey, you didn’t do anything wrong.” And then I held her closer and longer than I usually did, wishing I hadn’t sputtered and screamed like I had.

“I made a mess,” she cried. I felt the tension in her shoulders while she quietly sobbed.

I held her closer until she relaxed. “We all have accidents,” I assured her, “Come on, time for bed.”

When I stood outside her room that night with urine dripping from my honey colored hair, I realized that sometimes God’s plan is different than ours. With each glimpse that I get of His plan unfolding in the life of my family, I see so much more than I planned for myself.

Inspired by my father’s humor and zest for life, I continue to make my mark on the world, bringing my own words to life in the stories I write.

Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor last week, and you know what? He's not worried one bit about tomorrow, and he's still laughing about today, because as he puts it, "God will take care of the rest." I don't think I've ever met a person with more zest for life than he.

Please keep him in your prayers as we face the weeks and months ahead.

Update: Today he was tested and diagnosed with four brain tumors and lung cancer. He is in great spirits, and ask that prayers be only for God's will to be done.