She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
PROVERBS 31:13, ESV
MY OLDEST HAD PASSED her swim test at the local pool with ease.
She’s on the swim team, and on the first day of testing, she completed the requirements, gave me a high five, and then walked right over to the coveted deep end where those who passed were lining up for the diving board.
My youngest two looked at the diving board in awe, wishing so much they could use it. But both of them failed the test.
Over the next few days they tried again, but they just couldn’t manage to swim the whole lap. It was discouraging for them and for me. Would they ever pass? Would they ever be able to reach their goal of jumping off the diving board?
Yes, they would, but it took hard work and determination to not give up.
My youngest passed the test before her brother. She practiced and practiced and listened as I showed her how to kick her legs and move her arms. She went over to the testing area, got the lifeguard, and began the test.
She didn’t even make it halfway.
So she began to practice some more.
Before I could stop her, she was in the testing area again, but this time I could see that she was almost all the way across the pool! I went over and got to her just as she was getting out. “I did it, Mom! I did it!” She had swum all the way across! There was just one problem. She hadn’t let the lifeguard know she was attempting it again, and he didn’t see her. It didn’t count. She would have to do it again.
She was exhausted, but instead of letting the news of her hard work not being seen or counted get her down, she rested. She got some pizza and enjoyed the sun. And about forty-five minutes later, she asked the lifeguard to watch and went for it again. And she passed—officially.
I was so proud of her.
As I high-fived her, I looked at my son and saw tears in his eyes.
I tried to encourage him and teach him, but he just kept saying, “It’s too hard! I’ll never do it!” There wasn’t much I could do. I knew he needed inner resolve.
Well, he got that inner resolve once some teenagers took it upon themselves to take him under their wings and teach him. There were at least eight of them, mostly girls. They went to the testing area with him and worked with him and cheered him on and wouldn’t let him give up. It was the coolest thing to see. After a long time of them helping him and telling him he could do it, he decided to take the test again.
He jumped in and started swimming, but about halfway through he started to go to the side. But wouldn’t you know? Those teen coaches, all eight of them, wouldn’t let him quit. They kept saying, “You can do it! You’re halfway there! Keep going!”
He did as he was told. He kept swimming, and as he neared the end of the pool, the shouts got louder and louder; this accomplishment wasn’t just his—it was theirs as well.
He got out of the pool with the biggest smile on his face. He did it. He passed.
When it comes to anything we want to accomplish, I have found that there are two things that are keys to our success:
- Resolve and a willingness to work hard and be diligent
- Not to go it alone
Even though it’s hard to get motivated and be consistent when it comes to cleaning, do you have a willing heart to keep things clean? Do you have willing hands? Are you willing to give yourself to the work in order to build your vision?
If you’re anything like me, you dream of the ideal that you will keep your home clean and organized every day. You’ll get up early and do laundry, make breakfast, keep the kids in line with their chores. Oh, and you’ll also be dressed, including a touch of lipstick for good measure.
But then your ideals fall flat. There have been many days when I’ve moaned, “I just can’t keep it together!” The problem is not my inability to pursue my ideals; it’s the fact that I stay stuck on the word can’t.
I need to change my can’t into can.
I can pursue my ideals, and I can do them (for the most part) consistently, with the Lord’s help and grace. But first I need to have realistic ideals, goals that fit who I am. I will never be up early doing laundry with lipstick on. And that’s okay! But I can work toward being consistent. I am healthy (praise God), I am able bodied, and I have the ability to practice self-discipline.
If I place value on the work, I am likely to do it. The point is, I can do the work; I just have to be realistic and kind to myself about how I will go about it.
I can follow through with my ideals. I can choose to let go of “perfect” and instead cling to “do something.”
And when I feel like I can’t, I can reach out for support or help. Just knowing we’re not alone is a huge comfort, and having friends or a group of encouragers can give us the boost we need to keep on.
Are you with me?
READ GALATIANS 6:9. (I SUGGEST THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION.)
What is the reward for persevering?
The accomplishment of working hard is a rewarding feeling.
How are you doing on the challenges in this book? Are you getting things done? How does it feel? Jot down what you are thinking right now.
Do you need to go slower or faster? Go at whatever pace you need to. The point is not to compete, but to complete.
MARTHA CHALLENGESORTING DAY!
SETTLE IN AND SORT
Remember how you stuffed all those papers and miscellaneous items from your kitchen counters and drawers into a bag or bin? Well, friend, today is the day you are going to sort through all of that stuff. Yep. So settle in with some good tunes and get to it!