I really dislike cooking and cleaning. But reading through Proverbs 31 one day got me thinking. In verse 15, it says the worthy woman gave portions to her maidservants. Well if the virtuous woman can have maidservants, why can’t I? So I decided that I would hire some maids. Dee washes the dishes, though she is picky about which ones she will or will not wash. Julie, Cindy, Frieda and Millie do a great job helping me prepare meals. Olivia occasionally helps too, but sometimes her hot flashes are just too much, especially in the summer. Frances, though older, keeps her cool and is the hardest working of the bunch. She certainly puts all the young ones to shame. Holly is a quiet gal, kind of a loner, but somehow she always seems to find herself in hot water. Willa and Deidra are great help with the laundry. But Ivy is pretty lazy with the ironing… she always wants help. Vivian loves to vacuum floors and does a great job, and boy is she good at encouraging me to get an extra workout in. Sherry helps me file all the important paperwork. Tina and Ingrid are such a distraction I need to let them go, but they are so funny and entertaining that I hate to. I haven’t found anyone to clean the bathrooms yet, so I’m still looking. I do my best to keep everyone busy throughout the day; it takes all of us to keep this family together. I’m not sure how I ever did it before they came to work for me.
Truth is (in case you didn’t already guess) these maids are just my appliances. Dee is the dishwasher. Julie and Cindy are the instant pot and crockpot. Frieda is the fridge. Millie the microwave. Olivia is my oven and Frances is our really old freezer (that works so well that we break or bend many a spoon on a bucket of ice cream.) Holly is the hot water heater. Willa and Deidra are the washer and dryer. Ivy the iron. Vivian the vacuum. Sherry our shredder. Tina and Ingrid are the TV and the Internet. (I hope reading all this brings a smile to your face if not a little giggle.)
Though I really don’t like to cook or clean, I do like to eat. I do like a clean environment. And I do like the satisfaction of knowing my family is taken care of. I’m very blessed to own all these devices. I struggle to imagine a time or place where these things weren’t/aren’t available to help me with my chores. So in the end I chose to be grateful that I have a Frieda, a Cindy, a Willa, a Deidra, a Holly, and the rest of the gang. I chose to change my grumpy attitude to gratitude. And really gratitude makes any job easier.
Proverbs 15:13 says “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.” So when facing down that chore we really don’t want to do (I’m looking at you Vivian), let’s get in there and just do it…with a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving. Then we can sit back and enjoy the fruit of our labor.
Happy Vacuuming!