A small boy stood with his father in the check-out lane at the market. He set his purchase on the counter and with the other hand, held out a palm full of change. "What are you going to do with detergent?" inquired the friendly clerk. "I'm going to wash my cat!" the lad replied. "I'm not sure that it's a good idea to use detergent on a cat," cautioned the clerk. But undeterred, the child headed out the door with his purchase.
A couple of days later, this same clerk recognized the child as he waited for his mom to check out her groceries. "How did the cat washing go? Is your kitty ok?" A sadness came over the boy's face as he said, "My cat died." "I am so sorry," replied the clerk. "I was worried that detergent might not be good on a cat." "Oh, it wasn't the soap," said the boy. "It was the spin-cycle on the dryer that killed him!"
Many of our homes are being killed by the "spin-cycle." So many commitments, so many appointments, so many activities, so many expectations, so many pressures, so many...the "spin-cycle" is threatening to destroy the things we claim we love most. We recognize. We dislike it. We vow to do something about it. But for some reason, rather than a new season of "calm" our lives seem to accelerate into greater chaos. We are being killed by the "spin-cycle"!
I have good news for you. No, make that GREAT news for you! There is hope. There is help! In reflecting this morning on the 127th Psalm, it occurred to me that a new "organizational plan" or another "on the fridge list of chores" strategy is not the solution. Getting sanity to dwell once more in our households does not come from a new series of activities but rather from a renewed quietness. Listen to the sage insight of the ancient poet: "Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain (consumed by anxieties and worries and maxed out by stresses). It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, (working yourself to death!), to eat the bread of painful labors (one success scheme following another); FOR...He gives to His beloved even in his sleep." Psalm 127:1-2
Find yourself "being killed by the spin-cycle"? There is hope. There is help! Join us Sunday as we begin our studies in Proverbs and discover God's gift of "Hope for the Harried Household."
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