My sister, Rebecca, was with us for the last three weeks of our medical marathon, helping cook, clean, do laundry--you know, basically get our life de-messified. Her spiritual gift is organization, although some might mistake it for moderate OCD. My gifts include creating piles of things that need to be organized, which is one of the reasons we get along so well, because I don't mind her digging through my piles to make some semblance of order out of them. One of my kids, however, who has latent control issues took awhile to warm up to his/her aunt's methods. But after Rebecca alphabetized my pantry, categorized the medical supply warehouse in Annie's closet, and sanitized the haz waste site in the laundry room, they were bowing to her skills. But now she's back home in Oklahoma because she missed the ice storms, and I'm back to doing dishes, laundry, and making my own coffee in the morning. I don't think I can cope. Waaah.
Jean
7 comments:
Jean, Does your sister hire out? What a blessing to have her come and be with you to help take some of the pressure off of trying to be in two places at once! So glad Bill is home and am praying for his continued recover and a speedy one at that! Lots of Love, Cindy
Rebecca was a HUGE blessing--your comment about being in two places at one time hit the nail on the head--she was "ME" at home, while I was in the hospital with Bill. Only better, because she did things that needed to be done since forever ago.
Thank you so much for your prayers--God is answering them!
I'm so glad I had the privilege of meeting Miss Super Organizer! :) You know my number, and you know I'd be mad if you had a need and didn't call/text, so please do. Praying for "boring" at the Sullies for a while. xxxooo
I never knew my "organinzing" was a Spiritual gift! I think I love that definition, Luther just says I'm pushy. well....
...if you need anything, you know where I am.
love to all, pam
Okay, Gretchen & Pam--You're on my speed dial.
Pam--technically, the spiritual gift of organizing is called administrating (1 Corinthians 12:28), but I figure the words are interchangeable. I can't find a verse that refers to creating piles as a spiritual gift, but I AM really good at it.
:-)
So amazed at how you all come through another crisis with your hopes and head held high! Love that your glass is half full! Even love you on the days that it is not :) I hope Bill is still doing well and that Annie is continuing to make strides. And hoping that you continue to be the glue that holds it all together Jean!
Tanya
OK, I’m done reveling in the praise. Now let’s talk about what really was going on:
No one can take the place of Jean. No one can really be “Jean” in one place while Jean is Jean in another place. Can’t be done. Better not to try.
It’s all about giftedness, the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, and the unique “me” that we each are. (I’m preaching to the choir, I know, but it’s good to be reminded, eh?)
Jean is mercy, relation, faith, and many other things we know and don't know about.
I am task, project, OCD, ADD, and many other things that really grate on folks after a short while. Oh, and I try to add beauty to things, but can never quite make my house look as pretty as Jean’s. And I don’t have Jean’s challenges to excuse me!
Jean talked about being ‘random’ as she works around her home, and how that frustrates her attempts to finish some stuff. When I got home, I was reminded of my own randomness in my own home; yet it was easy for me to be very focused at Jean’s.
Why? Because I see, and am distracted by, all the minutiae in my own bailiwick, but I can ignore all the details in yours because they’re not my problem, y'know.
So I focus on a very small piece of your pie – the freezer that needs defrosting – and go at it with a vengeance. The energy I scatter all around my own home in a million pieces, one unfinished project after another, gets lasered onto one unsuspecting corner of yours.
In fact, that’s why we all want to ‘hire out’ each other -instinctively we know that bringing in a set of unbiased, almost ‘disinterested’ eyes and arms and a strong back will help us to move ahead on some chore – any chore, we hope! – that’s been frustrated in its completion.
Point – Jean doesn’t have enough to do already, but I’ve enlisted her help in my landscape design. Why? Because I LOVE her garden…and kudo’s to all of you who have had a hand in making her backyard such a wonderful oasis of beauty and peace…and NO GRASS. Duh.
So, the very first thing she contributes is that list of questions that will completely direct the plan. Why didn’t I think of it that way? Because I’m too close to the problem (one might say, I AM the problem :-) ).
This is a long comment, I know. Sorry.
I’m glad Jean was blessed by my presence, of course. My blessings came in being able to do something. Anything that might bring a smile, relief, distraction from the daily grind even.
I see a way God works here: While He’s answering our prayers on the ‘big issues,’ He sends us to bless one another in areas we don’t even think to pray about as all of our prayers are on the big issue. We are each other's reminder that He’s got a solution for the little issues, too.
You who are geographically close to Jean are the heroes. You are the ones who ‘do not grow weary in well doing’ – because you provide ongoing support and ‘do – goodery’ daily and weekly and monthly and persistently and patiently and uncomplainingly. And I thank you. And pray blessings upon you.
And was happy finally to meet some of you, too!
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