Prayer for Clean & Cozy Homemakers

Prayer for Clean & Cozy HomemakersJ


Dearest Lord and Father,

I bring each and every heart on this list to Your amazing throne.
Pour Your Word into our hearts, minds, and souls so we may drink and hydrate every part of us. Let this overflow into the people and places around us, with us, and sent to us each day.

Thy words were found and I ate them,
And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

Help us. Feed us. Hydrate us. Comfort, console, encourage, edify, strengthen and uplift us as we do all those things in and to and by YOUR NAME.

Lord, You are the helper for our every need so I pray for our help in getting the laundry washed, dried, folded, hung and put away.
I pray for our laundry rooms to be neatened and pantry shelves brought to order. Help us plan our meals and prepare nutritious and hearty meals no matter what bounty we do or don't have.
Give us sharing spirits so we don't hesitate to share the food gracing our counters and tables to others.
Infuse us with a heart to work as unto You and give us what we need to get all the floors cleaned up, swept, and mopped.
Show us through bringing order to every area of our homes...
Guide us through needed house repairs and planned home projects...
Give strength to our hands and arms so our dishes can stay washed and neatly put up and our sinks can be sanitary.

Make our hearts happy ... not with the world's view of happiness but YOUR SPIRIT'S joy always and ever flowing regardless of what is going on. When we are tackling allergy inducing dusting chores... help us sing in spite of it.
Let us find joy in clearing our homes of clutter, giving and giving some more from our bounty and helping others as we help ourselves.
Allow us to vacuum up pet hair, sparkle our glass and windows, tidy up, clean toilets, scrub shower stalls, wipe down bathtubs, scrub the dirty places and bring beauty to the homes You have blessed us with.

The other things on our To Do list --- let them all be led and designed and determined by YOU and not our own understanding. Help us serve, visit, share, give, comfort, encourage and more just as our precious Savior did while on earth. Just as He does now. In HIS NAME, Amen.

Love,
Sandy

Martha's Hands & Mary Mind

Prayer

Lord of all pots and pans and
tins, since I've not time to be
A saint by doing lovely things,
or watching late with Thee,
Or dreaming in the twilight, or
storming heaven's gates,
Make me a saint by getting meals
and washing up the plates.

Although I must have Martha's
hands, I have a Mary mind;
And when I black the boots and
shoes, Thy sandals, Lord, I
find;
I think of how Thou trod the
earth, each time I scrub the
floor;
Accept this meditation, Lord,
I haven't time for more.

Warm all the kitchen with Thy
love and light it with Thy
peace;
Forgive me all my worrying and
make all grumbling cease;
Thou who didst love to give men
food ---in room or by the sea ---
Accept this service that I do,
I do it unto Thee.

Author Unknown

Changed Thinking

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

We have a “kind of baby” beagle. She left that pretty puppy stage and hit the barely- make -it –through- without -crying one many dogs put their masters through at certain ages. The previous family needed a new home for her ASAP and what started out as me helping find a home, ended with my home being it.

Bella, named by our teenage daughter, walks early each morning. We are crate training her like we did the other two and she sleeps in her crate like a baby bed.

This morning, I walked her and let my eyes wander over and across my yard. Thoughts turned into silent questions and all lined up for a turn: when will I get the fence we need for our garden plot? How much longer will our worn out little porch hold up? How will we cut the grass with a broken lawn mower? Where will get mulch enough to save the plants I’ve prayed to keep alive through the years?

This thinking walk of mine turned into concerns and collided with worry. By that point, it wasn’t just the yard and I felt fretting coming on strong. I thought of each of our kids (from the youngest to the grown & grandkids) and of the needed house repairs and before I reached the house… my peace was gone. Dangling on a tick covered tree I passed or caught up in some of the briars I almost tripped in was the peace I walked outside with.

A verse I read the same morning came to mind on not looking at the things seen but those not seen.{top of post} Another verse tapped in…

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

The morning opened to this:

It wasn’t about what I could see or even what I could feel.

It should be about hope and assurance in a GOD proven faithful for our every need.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

How thankful I am for the Word of God! It lifts me out of my worldly defeats and into higher truths.

Just like a mountaintop, You lift me up. . .
Just like a desert stream, You fill my cup . . .

The Only Thing That’s Beautiful To Me: Rush of Fools

Family, Home, & Garden: Bible Verses

‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat their produce.
‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear son and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

‘And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for a welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

‘And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.’

Jeremiah 29:5-7 & 11-13

I really loved picturing the living out of these verses. Families --- building up and making homes, planting gardens, bringing the bounty in for meals and really, the whole scene.

This made me think of my own home and garden and I wonder how I’m doing at building it up?

So often, we easily tear down what we have worked hard to create in our homes.
At least, I find this happening here.

Things like: Having a complaining spirit, being or sounding negative, and that emotion most of us detest and still fall into. . . anger. It seems I go for months drawing on the peace provided in God’s Word as I read it each and every morning before reading anything else.

Then, one day … everything gets on my nerves. I end up being discontent, frazzled, and irritated. It is so hard to break such a mood when it sets in and I always hate the effect it has on my family. Every one seems down cast and the very rooms we laugh, love, and live in seem the same way.

Thankfully, those days do pass and a new day and new hope shines brightly again.
Those days are the building up and building on times and they help carry us through the tearing down times.

“Again, you shall plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria;

The planters shall plant and shall enjoy them.” Jeremiah 31:5

The LORD wants so much for his, doesn’t He?! He wants us to enjoy the homes and gardens we build and nurture.


Here in our home, it is a time of celebration. Our son is coming home after three years of mere leaves and visits. He left home to train in Fort Benning, GA and went from there to where he was stationed in Italy. He deployed from Italy for 15 months in Afghanistan and has been several months back in Italy since returning. God has been so good and He has carried this guy who left home a boy and is coming back a man.

How thankful I am for my LORD and Savior. HE alone carried this mother’s heart through the terrors, agonies, heart cries, and the heart breaks. He also built UP my faith and tore DOWN my fear. My God is an awesome God! Your God is an awesome God!


“And there is hope for your future,” declares the LORD, and your children shall return to their own territory.” Jeremiah 31:17

And for those “tear down” kind of days? We can dwell on His truth. The truth that HE satisfies and HE refreshes through all our days.

“For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” Jeremiah 31:25

Housekeeping in Heart and by Hand

"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Thy consolations delight my soul."
Psalm 94:19

I usually don't get over worried or preoccupied over flu scares, peace threats, and/or surivival situations. When they hit the news, I pray and trust God with being the ONE in control.

This latest flu fear crossing all over right now has nudged me off my secure stance a bit. Worldly thoughts came pressing on the doorway of my heart like storms beating the entry of a house.

What if?
My dad taught me long ago to not give in to those two words.

The Lord gave me a renewed peace as I've prayed for people, my family and others and heard the developing news. He is still in control.

Circumstances, situations, and/or rumors of them don't change the fact that our God is over all and everything.

He is our peace.

For me, this makes the whole world look brighter.

Around here, I am following many of the tips I've read taking some of the safety precautions. Beyond that, I don't have to feel panicked because we are in the hands of the Lord.

Steps to "Safer" Housekeeping

* Spray all doorknobs, light switches and knobs and wipe down. I used straight vinegar in a spray bottle with several drops of lavender shaken in. You can use alcohol, peroxide (more below) or a spray of tea tree oil and distilled water.

* Use peroxide on faucets, kitchen and bathroom sinks, counters, worktables, tubs nad toilets.

* Dissolve Borax in clean water and wipe down doorways, appliance handles, wipe down surfaces, and mop the floors.

* Adding tea tree oil, lavender, or eucalyptus oil in my laundry. I add a few to several drops as the machine is filling with water.

I'm sure there is lots more but these are some basics I am doing around here.

Another thing:
I already wash my hands so much I have to keep lotion around and now that I'm doing that even more, I need more. I've started rubbing a small piece of coconut oil on my hands and between my fingers. Instant softness!

Have a great day and coming weekend and I hope you are safe and feeling the peace of the Lord.

Start of Summer Mornings

Some would not consider it summer yet basing things on temperature, school still being open, and/or the date on the calendar. Around here... I can tell it is the first days of our hottest and longest season.

I get up between 4:30am and 7:00am and the house is already less dark in the early mornings. By the time I have the coffee done, laundry moving, breakfast made, kitchen tidied, bathroom swished & swiped and floor vac'd --- the sun is bright and warm.

This is the first year I have looked this forward to a hot time of year since I was a child. It might be the garden we are growing, getting Blake in on my yard plans, or just getting some sunshine absorbed; I just know I have hope for a good one.

There is a bumblebee buzzing and bouncing (quite gracefully) all over our yellow bell bushes outside this window. Blue Jay's dive into one tree and cardinals swoop down from another. My purple azaleas are in full bloom and I wish my husband hadn't covered my gorgous white azaleas with big rocks! He did this when his parents' old house was torn down to build new and he lugged all kinds of rock down here to save and use.

I hope to get the floors mopped again today with some rosemary essential oil. I need to give it a good scrub again!

Just thought I'd slip a quickly "scratched" note from my home this developing day!

A Homemaking Praise

{picture from allposters.com}

My laundry is caught up, Lord . . .
My laundry is caught up!
The piles are all washed, rinsed, dried and folded,
All are in drawers and in closets with care
Not a person was reminded so no one was scolded. . .
For leaving them in stacks here and there.
This time it all has been put away,
Each person took a basket
This made for a tidy day!
The dishes are done, Lord . . .
The dishes are done!
The bowls, cups and plates
line neatly in cupboards;
Each and every one.
The floors are swept up of debris,
The corners swept up, too. . .
Tomorrow I will mop them
And give more praise to YOU!
The house is tidy and all is neat,
candles twinkle tiny flickers of glowing heat.
Thank You for joy You provide
Around, about and all inside!

Sandy W. 2009