ForgottenWoman

Whoops! Am I Making Too Much Noise?

On this Saturday morning as I flit about through the house getting things done I’ve had to laugh a few times realizing that I’m really a bit too loud! One of my daughters has been working from home for a couple of weeks due to sickness among coworkers and weather. One day when she was the one who was sick, she was working on her work computer in our den and at some point had set the computer aside and laid down for a nap hoping to get some relief from the nausea she was experiencing.

Me? I was going about my daily business. I had finished with the schooling of the grandboys and had run into town for Bible study at Tranquility and came back into the house and noticed that the sink was full of dishes – so, I began unloading the dishwasher with my usual vigor. (You have to have lived with me to understand this completely.) Well, it wasn’t long before I had dropped a couple of things, had accidentally closed a drawer or two too loudly; and I heard her voice say, “Goodness, Mom! Are you trying to kill something?” We both burst out laughing and I ran into the den realizing that she was sitting up from trying to sleep – and I apologized for being so noisy.

I really do wish that I could tell you this was a unique incident and nothing like this has ever happened before, but the truth is; I have a reputation among the family. For years, I would spend most of Saturday night (from midnight until 6 the next morning) cleaning house, preparing Sunday dinner and just doing all of the things that I couldn’t do while busy with a houseful of people during the days. I tried to be quiet, but often someone would ask on Sunday, “Exactly what were you doing last night?” or “Do you really have to clean in the middle of the night while we are sleeping?” My thought is that maybe we need to insulate the walls and floors better.

So, on this Saturday morning, it was pretty quiet in the house – the sickness still lingers with a few and we talked last night about them just resting as long as possible. But… there is laundry to do, trash to get out, a kitchen and bathrooms to clean. You get the picture. So, I got to work. I was trying so hard to be quiet in the kitchen when I literally dropped the first thing I pulled out of the dishwasher. I started laughing as I realized that there is just no getting around it, when Mom is up – everybody is going to know it. Then, my mind began to take that thought and run.

When I’m up, when I’m present, when I’m a part of your life – what am I bringing to it? Is there anything in God’s Word that gives me an idea of what I should bring to it? The answer is a resounding yes! Y’all when we are walking with the Lord, allowing Him to work in us and then through us, the result is naturally the fruits of the spirit which definitely affect those whose lives we walk into!  Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. The question is this: Is this what I bring with me when I’m up?

Today, I’m asking myself this question – “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me…” We hear so much about self-reflection and self-care and self everything else! What I want to be focusing on is a heart reflection. Where I see that my tendency is not toward love, or not toward joy or longsuffering, or any of the other fruits of the Spirit; I need to seek God’s forgiveness and then do the hard work of renewing my mind, spending time in prayer and getting to know my Father better. Then and only then will I bring what really matters into a room when I’m up – hopefully more than just noise!