Yesterday we had company over, a couple whose children are all grown. I was getting some last minute preparations done before we sat down, and the woman asked to help. It was apparent by her efficiency that she was light years ahead of my puttering self in the homemaking department. After a pleasant dinner, she helped clean up. Making short work of the dishes, she started in on my counters and my stove. Now… I had a clean sink, but I confess my stove was pretty dismal looking, complete with spots from several meals. At my protest, she shrugged and said, “I know what it is like to have three young children. I had trouble getting everything done, too.”
This dear lady has no idea how encouraging her comments were. You mean… there’s hope for me? I might someday work quickly and efficiently? I was embarrassed at all the places I hadn’t cleaned (even though it really looked better than it often does), but she wasn’t critical. I hope I can be like that someday.
I’m also learning that these moms don’t always consider themselves teachers. I guess I never thought of my responsibility to seek them out. I could wait for them to come over and teach me, but they don’t want to intrude or offend. Maybe that’s humility that I can emulate, too. Guess I need a good dose of humility when it comes to learning from others. Perhaps God is using my cleaning deficiencies to help me see how much I can learn from other women, spiritually as well as practically. I’m getting it slowly.
Leave a Reply