Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Fairies

“Be strong and finish the task” Zachariah 8:9a

"Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” I Chronicles 28:20a

When I was growing up with three older brothers, one brother in particular seemed to always leave the bathroom a mess. For some reason, I seemed to be the one who always followed him in using that room and I would clean it up as it drove me nuts. The rest of the family always seemed to wait to use the room until after I was done.

I miss our daughter living at home, for many reasons, but one reason oft comes to mind. When she was bored, she cleaned, deep cleaned, and she was bored often. Rarely through her teen years did I ever have to do much cleaning.

My husband has determined that our marriage has endured because of the fairies, his fairies. As long as he does not mention them very often (they are a little temperamental- too much talk about them and they tend to disappear for a while), but acknowledges that they are beneficial to him, they quietly go about their way making his life a little bit easier. Now for me, these fairies have very rarely done much of anything.

There are definite times that I would love to have his fairies, but really, what I would prefer is to have some different fairies. For the next eight months, I would like a work fairy; one that would go to my job and work so that I could stay home and use that time to concentrate on my dissertation. Another useful fairy would be a menu fairy; this job includes creating menus every two weeks and see that the necessary ingredients are in the cabinets to make the selected dishes. One other fairy I would like is one who saw to the vehicle needs, such as gassing the vehicle up, washing and vacuuming it regularly, and seeing to its many needs (such as oil changes, new battery, brake work, and such).

However, as much as I would like these different fairies, I am thankful that I am able to do most of these jobs. As I watch other folks struggle with some of these things, my heart is grateful for all I have and can do. I am employed and my job is interesting; I work with terrific folk. I have a cupboard and refrigerator full of food for which it only takes me a little effort to put together different meals. Plus, I admit to enjoying grocery shopping. Our vehicle may have some issues, but it is running and is so fun to drive (and I do love driving), so putting forth a little effort to enjoy it is so minor is the vast scheme of life.

So, in the absence of fairies, I am giving thanks for what I can do, am able to do, and for what I am given to do. And, I am going to be looking for ways that I can be a fairy for someone else, a way to make someone’s life just a little easier.

Digging deeper: James 2:14; Philippians 2:4; Hebrews 13:16

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