“Don’t curse what God calls good.”
Before the Boss’s final deployment, we had lived in five different homes, each varying in size, location, and charm—and I loved them all. But when we started entertaining the idea of him separating from the military, we had the chance to dream about our “forever home.” We walked into a model called the Magnolia and it captured my heart though out of our league. There were windows everywhere with natural light shining in from every corner and I could picture having a massive dining table full of people in the center of the open floor plan.
After a year of wrestling with God, standing at a crossroads over what was next for our family, we found our way back to that house—once impossible, but now doable. In a market where homes were selling before they even hit the listings, God answered some wild prayers, guiding us in ways I can’t fully explain (a testimony for another post). Miraculously, He made a way for us to call the Magnolia our home.
We see in Genesis 1 that God provided for Adam and Eve long before He created them. He didn’t do it so they could sit back and relax; He did it so they could work and have dominion over the land and animals. Snippets from Genesis:
📖 Genesis 1:11-12, 20-21
“Then God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them’; and it was so.”
“Then God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.’ And God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.”
God provided for Adam and Eve: their home, their food, and everything around them. And He called it good.
This home is an answer to prayer, but what happens when the luster fades? The temptation to complain crept in, and I found myself morphing into an Israelite wandering in the desert. By nitpicking the flaws of our home to others, I began minimizing the very blessing we had prayed for. The trap is in the little things as over time, small complaints snowball in both frequency and intensity.
What started as a grumble about the size and cleaning demands of the house turned into complaints about all the stuff we owned, the people in the house, and a sense of not getting enough help. Oh, Lord, forgive me! I was reminded that I needed to stop cursing the very home we had prayed for. At the time, we were hosting a Bible study and I was convicted about how I was speaking about our home. It is a blessing to have a home to welcome family, friends, and raise our growing family.
When I cursed the provision, I also cursed the work that came with it.
I was misdiagnosing the problem. It wasn’t the house, the stuff, or even the people. The problem was ME. (Ouch.)
❓Reflection Questions
Do I buy things I don’t need, or do I struggle with gluttony?
Am I stewarding our finances and possessions well?
Have I overcommitted myself, leaving no time to properly clean and care for the house?
Am I training our kids and asking my husband kindly to help? How can I create better systems to manage the home?
Do I have a problem with contentment?
🙏🏻 Prayer for contentment from snippets of Philippians 4 and Psalm 23:
Lord, you are my shepherd and I have all I need. I do not want to take all I have for granted. Forgive me for the times I have cursed what you have called good or have complained over what you have provided. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. Show me what it is to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether plenty or in want. Guide me along the right paths for your name's sake and show me how to steward my time and possessions in the way that glorifies you.
⭐️ Resources
Books on Organization/Decluttering
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Books that helped my time management
Cleaning Systems
Overconsumption
Budgeting/Tracking spending (Dave Ramsey’s site has so many resources)
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