Thank you for joining us!
Before we begin our essay, I wanted to share a Comment Highlight from Monday’s discussion question:
wrote:Such a beautiful post and yes, I resonate with the idea of “sameness” which I’m going through myself at the moment with my work. What I try to remember during times such as these is the seasons in my life where, primarily due to family health issues, where all I wanted was “sameness” and ordinary days where I didn’t have to worry about a loved one in the hospital, doctor’s visits, are they in pain, etc. And, as I get older (I turned 60 last December), I realize more and more how precious each day is and how quickly they pass. This helps me with my tendency to want to “get through” a day. Instead, I have been focusing on finding something that brings me a few minutes of joy, even in the midst of having things on my plate I’m not looking forward to doing.
This was such a beautifully expressed sentiment, Sheryl! Thank you so much for sharing with us, and thank you to everyone who commented on our discussion!
The Untidy Hymn
This is a re-released post from last summer. I wrote it in the midst of a similar season of messy sameness, and I know that its honesty is still timely for me today.
I pray that it blesses you, too, no matter how messy life is!
*****
This is a hymn for the mountain of dirty dishes that manages to replenish itself every day in summer after eating, cooking, canning, and creating.
This is a psalm for the laundry, the cobwebs, the dust, the dog hair on the sofa. For each and every chore. For the lists of tasks, some done, some undone.
This is a song of honesty, of reality, of a house working overtime to shelter two hardworking humans and one very loyal animal. For the parts of life that aren’t very poetic, that don’t fit into a photo or a witty little post. For the parts of life we crop out. For the parts of life we hide when visitors come around.
God hides there. In the cracks, the crevices, the corners.
God peeks from under the laundry, from around the pile of dirty dishes, dangling from the cobwebs. He does not despise the dog hair. He is not bothered by dust.
Only Someone that almighty, that magnificent, can make Himself small enough to ride our exhaled breath, each deep sigh. Impossibly grand. Impossibly intimate. A God not unfamiliar with dirt and grime, with dust and splinters. A God who blessed our broken, fallen realities, and filled them with abundance.
To the untidy, to those in need of a good scrub: blessing on us all. Blessing on our dirty kitchens, our dusty shelves, our unmopped floors. Blessing on our untidy selves. Blessing on our untidy lives.
I believe that the untidy shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Each of us, one and all.
Amen.
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amen.
Wow, I am honored you shared my comment. Thank you for your kindness.
I love “The Untidy Hymn” ... ❤️
“For the parts of life that aren’t very poetic, that don’t fit into a photo or a witty little post. For the parts of life we crop out. For the parts of life we hide when visitors come around.
“God hides there. In the cracks, the crevices, the corners.”
Thank the Lord he humbles himself to dwell among us. And it’s because he loves us so much. Amazing!
His holiness doesn’t seem to be based on the outward things that we focus on anyway. But on the inward clutter and sin we get so good at hiding. I thank him even more that the Word became flesh to cleanse me as he clearly knows I can’t do it myself. 💕