Offended and Spring Cleaning

It could be a farm thing, it could be a weather thing, or perhaps I am tired of the filth these people live in!

Now saying all that, the people I am referring to is myself and Brian (I actually really, really do not care if your house is dirty – I don’t have to clean it!).

The weather lately, up until today, has been chilly at night but the days are in the pluses and the blue sky and sunshine make it feel like spring! I go outside and hear the spring birds chirping in the trees and think to myself, “heck those guys know its spring and they are here so this is it!” Then I wake up today to snow….on the first day of spring.

I have been feverishly cleaning this pigsty and I tried to ask Brian one simple request…. I have asked it before and I realize that perhaps it is not a husband / wife thing, it really could be a guy/ gal thing. I do not want you to vote because should some of you wonderful sympathizers start siding with me.

I got that Spring Fever itch or maybe it was disgusted kitchen itch…. If I really think about it, it could be more widespread than just the kitchen.

I got really sick on Saturday, like 2 Saturdays ago, not sure if it was a stomach flu or food poisoning, not to be too graphic, but the saying, “there she blows!” comes to mind and you were never sure which end would win. Anyways, it knocked me out and my stomach has not been the same since.

HOWEVER my hubby, bless his soul, also has been suffering from the “Man Cold”, apparently, the vilest plague known to mankind. I think you can start to see the problem surfacing, or problems….. neither one of us has had any energy or care about cleaning and mud season is upon us.

It is clean like a mad woman day because no cleaning was getting done. We have a farm, 2 dogs, chickens that have to be checked several times a day, slogging through the mud and back into the house. The dogs LOVE to come with you and slosh in the mud and then run back inside. If you were well enough you would do a feeble attempt to wipe their paws. Me, I did not see the light of day for well over 24 hours more like 48 til I saw outside.

My poor husband, and I really do mean this, also had to start pulling night shifts because the soft roads are causing havoc with the heavy equipment he hauls. It seems no one likes a foot or deeper of ruts in their roads. The guy is due for some good sleep with no coughing up a lung or blowing his nose.

It was a dire situation. So in my cleaning sweep, I made 1 request to Brian.  

Could he please use a plate for toast or bread? 

I know right, it is not even hard. When I come out and put something on the counter and find it covered with crumbs, it is an issue on my part. For some, it is which way is the toilet paper facing or squeezing the toothpaste in the middle, for me, its crumbs on the counter.

He gave me a grunt answer which when you are not feeling well, only encouraged me more to add, and could you get the coffee grounds you need to “save” into the coffee container. Bless my mouth that I did not add, and how many of those stupid coffee ground containers do we actually need? I wanted to!

Confession time: I taught at Aglow and we listened to an amazing sermon on “offense”.  I will put the link below because we all should watch it, obviously I need to watch it before I get out of bed every morning! I felt offended that he does not see my need for clean. I can tell you that being a “teacher” is the hardest because God sees fit to drive the point of the teaching home before and after the lesson has been done. I am still learning this one…

Offenses can be big, horribly wounding things or they can be the little things and often the little things are the ones that stick in like needles and you just can’t shake them off. Jesus help us to see our need for “right” is not as important as the need to “love”.

You know I was out with Brian a couple weeks back while he was loading a huge hoe (he tells me it wasn’t that big) onto his truck. I have seen him load many times but I have to tell you, watching him do his job, I marvel! There is not enough money in the entire world you could pay me to do what he does.

To load a machine, the hoe, cat, or whatever he is loading, he drives up over the back end of his truck and then as it starts to climb on, the front of the machine goes up, up, up until the machine is standing almost up on end and it looks and feels like it is about to tip over backwards. You crawl slowly enough, the machine re-balances and the front end comes back down (usually and in most cases). Just watching causes my stomach to lunge and my heart to pound – no thanks!  It is not a job for the faint of heart. I am most thankful for this man and marvel at what he does, that this is what he chooses to do to support us.

Offense, how do we be people of no offense? I believe it can be “thankfulness” and the other is a surrender of the will. I have to choose to not be offended. It is a choice and if I let something someone says rattle around long enough in my head, spinning it into all kinds of ways, chances are, I will get offended.

Watch the video teaching on offense, I have never heard it explained like this Pastor does with a link to miracles. It is very needed for our lives. Offense and wounding can cause so much damage in our hearts, in our lives and in the lives of others around us.

Let us choose today, to be people who do not take “offense.”

 Link to "Offense" teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmTjic7R4Xs