TO DO OR NOT TO DO...

To do or not to do...that is the question. Yep...that's the question I've been asking myself quite often over the last couple of weeks. It all started during one of my recent two days straight of cleaning. You see, we were hosting a party. I needed to clean the house. Sounds simple enough. Dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms, mop the floors. However, that's never the case when I go full force with my cleaning. In early July we had some friends stay with us over the 4th of July holiday. In order to make them feel fully at home and give them a little privacy, I moved the futon from the sunroom into the office and moved the loveseat from the office into the sunroom. This way they would have a room with a door and the use of the bathroom in the office. When they have stayed with us in the past we put a queen-sized air mattress in the office and it worked just fine. For some reason when they came this time I thought they needed the queen-sized futon instead of the air mattress. Now, with the party last week quickly approaching, I needed to move the futon from the office back into the sunroom and the loveseat from the sunroom back into the office. It took pretty much of a morning to get things back in order. I also decided that same week that our bedroom was in need of a thorough cleaning. With two dogs sleeping in our room...on our bed, actually...it was due for an intense vacuuming. I thought, "If I'm going to move this furniture to vacuum under it, them I'm going to rearrange the bedroom." That, too, took pretty much a complete morning. However, that was worth it...I like how I rearranged. Okay...so now I could get down to the nitty-gritty of "regular" cleaning. I dusted, vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms and scrubbed floors. However, not without finding myself becoming irritated by all the cleaning I had to do and how long it was taking me. That's when the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha came to mind. While Mary was sitting and listening to Jesus and just completely enjoying the fact that he was there and spending time with him, Martha was fussing around the house making sure everything was "perfect" for guests while at the same time becoming irritated with Mary for sitting there doing nothing. When Martha complained to Jesus about it he sided with Mary...I'm sure much to Martha's disappointment. Basically, all the fussing is just that...fuss. Fluff. Busyness. I realized that as I was going about my cleaning and thinking of the story. Yes...I wanted our friends to feel comfortable when they stayed with us. But...they would have been perfectly comfortable on the air mattress just like they always have been. Yes...I wanted everything to look nice for the party we were hosting. But...a simple dusting, vacuuming, toilet scrubbing would have done just that had I not had to rearrange furniture from the previous hosting of friends. What I realized is that I can get as irritated as I want about all of the fussing and fluff and busyness that I do...but I create it and bring in on all by myself. By the time I'm done I'm exhausted and it's my own darn fault! I need to shove the Martha in me aside and be more like Mary...to do what needs to be done...do it simply and well...and enjoy the rest of it...my husband, my kids, my friends...and Jesus! I know the Bible also tells us to do things without grumbling and complaining. If I keep it simple and do it well, there is nothing to complain about because I'm not creating more to do than necessary. So...my question of "to do or not to do" is one I need to start asking myself on a daily basis...some days on a minute-to-minute basis. Do I really NEED to do that? If the answer is no...if doing it takes away from what is REALLY important in life and only creates more busyness, fuss and fluff...then it can wait.

Peace.
Jeanine