Use Your Talents (AKA I'm a Terrible Housekeeper)

There are people coming to my house today.  People coming to do an assessment, of sorts.  They are going to tell me what needs to be done in order to sell my house.  And then report their findings back to the church.  

I mentioned a couple of days ago that my church has been very supportive of my family since Derick left.  We were proactive about making our needs known before this deployment.  The last time Derick was deployed, I was extremely lonely and depressed.  It was a combination of postpartum emotions, deployment emotions, and then spending all of the holidays alone with very little kids.  Not something I ever care to repeat.  So, before Derick left, we went to talk to one of the pastors and just explained to him what life is like for the family of a deployed service member, and how the church could help.  

They have really stepped up to the plate!  I thank God every Sunday for our church.  My kids sometimes whine about going to a different church than their grandparents or cousins.  I just tell them, "We're going to our church because they want to support our family while Dad is gone.  So we are gonna go and we are gonna let them."  

Which brings me to my point.  I have people coming today.  And my house looks like it threw up everywhere.  

I have a confession: I am a terrible housekeeper.  And consequently, I don't know how to teach and equip my children to do better. 

I love having company.  I love cooking for people.  I love it when people stop by unannounced.  I love doing hair in my kitchen. I tell Derick I keep doing hair so all my friends will come visit me.  He laughs but only because he knows it's at least half true. 

I love these things!  

This is how The Lord keeps me humble.  I get overwhelmed when my house gets messy and then I feel paralyzed.  I am a horrible procrastinator, which doesn't help with cleaning the messy house before I start feeling paralyzed.   And then after all this, I start to feel depressed and completely unmotivated. 

People tell me I have other talents.  They tell me I'm good at different things.  I haven't quite figured out how sewing a diaper bag or a quilt will teach my kids responsibility.

Or, how doing hair and makeup for models at a photoshoot will teach them humility.  

Model: Molly Ruth

Hair/Makeup: Yours truely

Photographer: Michael Gemstone

(c) 2014

Model: Karishma Brahmbhatt

Hair/Makeup: Me again :)

Photographer: Michael Gemstone

(c) 2014

I have started teaching Aida how to cook.  I suppose that's a good talent to have.  Useful for anyone! 

Maybe this isn't a good picture to post.  You can tell by looking at it that I am a terrible housekeeper!

Church is supposed to be made up of different talents too.  I would do well to remember this.  (And to remember that only special people are able to keep their house clean all the time.)  Each person is gifted in a different area.  One of the men coming today is a handyman, a jack of all trades.  The other is good with finances.    

Romans 12:6-8, 12-13 

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 

We could add a few more practical things to this list.  

If you are a good housekeeper, help a young mom who doesn't have a clue what she's doing.  

If you are a good cook, share your meals with others. 

If you can make someone's day a little better, by making their hair and makeup look good, by all means, get to it!  

If you are a handyman and the lonely military wife in your church is not, then please help her out a little.  Her deployed husband will thank you greatly!  Especially if the result is moving closer to the community that the military family is so involved in!

So, today, in the midst of my incredibly busy schedule, when I'm leading these men through my house.  And we are stepping over the kids clothes and toys, I just need to remember...

I'm good at other things.

And you are good at different things than me.  And putting them all together to help each other out is what living in community is all about.