My Sticky Floors

I stared at the floors in my dinning room and nearly cried. They were sticky and covered in crumbs, and I had ignored them for nearly 3 weeks. Every time I looked down at them, I felt overwhelmed and almost paralyzed. The job felt too big and mopping was my last priority.  In the middle of fighting back my tears, I heard that still small voice in my head say, “Just do the next thing.”  In the span of 30 seconds, I had two options. I could run, hide and cry, or embrace the task in front of me…my dirty floors.

Although I thought ignoring my dirty floors was helping me, what I realized was that my procrastination was robbing me of peace.  In my mind I had decided that mopping was going to take too long. In reality, it took less than 20 minutes. I had spent more time fretting and worrying about my floors than it actually took me to just clean them.

Sometimes we find ourselves balancing all these different areas of our lives. We want to be productive. We want to be successful. We desire to love God and to love people. But the truth is, our floors just need to be mopped…our kids need us to read them a book. Our husbands need us to listen to them process their day. Our stack of papers need filed, and our laundry needs folded and put away. The toilets need scrubbed and the trash needs taken out.  But if we fret about the task in front of us, we’ll always be robbed of the peace that comes from accomplishment.

Dear friends, as we end this month discussing the value of living in balance, may I encourage you to listen to that still small voice and “just do the next thing”?

I can’t tell you what your next thing is, but I can promise you, the one who knitted you together in your mother’s womb knows. He’s intimately acquainted with every detail of your life. He sees you, He knows you, and He loves you…right where you’re at.

Be encouraged, Sisters in Christ…if God is for you who can be against you?

Just go for it and mop that sticky floor…

This post was written by Julie Snellgrove. To read more about her, click here.