You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
Most every morning, when my feet hit the cool floor of our bedroom and I slip quietly downstairs for that lovely first cup of coffee, my heart is full of gladness.
There is joy in the everyday routine, the comfort of home, the knowledge that my family is here together under one roof. I feel very blessed to be a mother to my children … and I’m not just writing that out to sound all “sunshine and roses” for a blog post. There is a joy that comes in serving your family – your children and husband – that can be attained if we look at our work as mothers and wives through Biblical views. Jesus was the greatest servant of all – His example to love others before His own was incredible. As a mother, I am constantly offered an opportunity to be a servant, have a giving heart and learn to put a smile on my face and joy in my heart, even when the task at hand is unpleasant. It does not come naturally to die to self, as we all know to well, I am sure.
For me, it is an attitude that must be embraced daily. Some days, yes, it is harder to find that joy – and sometimes that joy can be lost briefly by my own selfishness. But turning to God, loving the little things, seeing delight in the routine of the every day, it is all working its way into my heart and there is true joy abounding there when I look about my family and home. There is an enjoyment that envelopes me as I think about the tasks at hand, the schooling, the life that needs living day by day.
I am never bored at home! There is always something to do – to clean, to organize, to create, to cook, to help, to learn. Those things all bring happiness to my soul. Yes, even cleaning. 🙂
If you are not finding that joy and gladness that can come from being a mother, a wife, tending to the home, may I encourage you to find something in your daily life that *does* bring a spark of happiness to your day…
Do you love to paint and create art? Pull out paints and spend some time creating some unique, personal pieces of art work – even with your children sloppily painting beside you. If you love to cook, dust off all those amazing recipes you have always wanted to try and attempt some new dishes or baked goods that have tempted your palate. There are so many ways to assist you in bring a ray of sunshine into your day … take a soothing tea break in the afternoon, sipping your favorite tea and indulging in a treat or two. Read that book you have always wanted to read but never made the time in your schedule to crack the spine. Put on glorious music and allow your cleaning time to be saturated in the sounds that you love. {Give me big band music any day – classical music is also a beautiful option.}
Light a soothing candle at the dinner table to bring warmth and light. Hang bright cheery curtains in a room that needs sprucing up … better yet, refresh the room with a clean, crisp paint makeover to a color that brings joy whenever you see it.
In a discreet fashion, I have a little goal of doing one thing per day that brings joy – whether it is baking a treat, simply having quiet tea time, planting a flower or two, changing furniture around … today, it was making plum-apple preserves with my soon-to-be-six-year-old. {My, time flies…} We had a few plums left over from a harvest at my parent’s home and I did not want these precious purple plums to go to waste. With the abundance of fall apples, the thought struck me that I could stretch the plum preserves a little if I added the apples … and it work – just splendidly.
We cut up the apples and plums, pitted the plums, and added them together with a big squeeze of lemon juice in a pot to simmer. Slowly, over the course of the day, the fruit broke down and cooked so pleasantly in the natural juices. I did not had to add any pectin – but I did add about just less than 1/4 cup of organic cane sugar. Not too sweet as we do not like our preserves to be overly sweetened. Using the spoon-in-the-freezer method of testing the jam, we ensured it was ready for the clean mason jars. It did not take long for us to make this jam – Lovelyn was a great helper, ladling the lovely preserves into the jars.
The plum-apple jam was processed in a hot water bath for 25 minutes. It set nicely and looks so pretty put up. God has the most loveliest of colors in His food, doesn’t He?
Now, go light a candle, make some jam, pour some tea, plan to do something that makes your heart sing today.
[Linked up with Strangers & pilgrims]
by Gigi
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