“True repentance is always accompanied by some measure of faith.
It cherishes the hope of mercy.”

Here in England most businesses open at 9. Which makes perfect sense when you consider that for most of the year, the sun only rises shortly before opening time. But it can certainly test your patience when you urgently need a new tire!

I still stick to 8 – 5pm.  Even though it is still dark on my way to work sometimes, the traffic between our bedroom and my home office is not too bad.

Time and energy to attend to normal household stuff often run low, so when I think of my husband, I feel doubly blessed!

The new rhythm we had to find actually transpired quite seamlessly.  I am now the one working in an office, while he took the house and garden under his wings.  I will still iron and clean the bathrooms and look after all the finer details that his eyesight may get him out of 😉

This week I’ve mentioned in passing that I really had to properly clean the kitchen cupboards sometime.  Not that it is a huge problem, rather just an irritation every time I open the spice drawer or get out the cereal early morning.

But that is where it stayed.
It didn’t irritate me quite enough to do something about it.

My office is on the other end of the garden with a window facing the kitchen.
Thursday morning, around teatime, I catch some purposeful movement inside.

To my astonished delight hubby had unpacked every single cupboard and was busy washing it down and returning everything to its proper place.  Just because.  For he knew it irritated me.

What a wonderful surprise!

Apart from the fact that the hard work has been done, that small irritation in tiny, red letters at the bottom of my TO DO list that had a way of sneaking into my thoughts each day, was now done.

And a part of me experienced a touch of freedom.

At times I tend to avoid the cluttered and sticky drawers in my life rather than deal with them.

Either I’m not up for the drama, don’t have the energy, or am afraid that I would have to face and acknowledge my part in the chaos.

So, that drawer remains closed, but takes a walk through my head ever so often and upsets me just enough to become depressed, but not enough to do something about it.

Helloooo!

Now that I got some help to deal with my messy kitchen cupboards, I just don’t think about it anymore.

If I can’t do it by myself and need some help to sort the chaotic spaces in my life, it too will cease to become a factor in my day-to-day living.

Yes, it may involve drama, energy, and repentance, but it carries within it the promise of more than a touch of freedom.

During the time of Hosea, the Lord so wanted to pull His people close and sort out their messy lives.  But they just could not admit there was any problem, much less ask for help.

“I, the Lord, would like to make
My nation prosper again
and to heal its wounds….

…I am the Lord, their God,
but in all their troubles
their pride keeps them
from returning to Me….

…I would have rescued them,
but they told Me lies.”
Hosea 6, 7 CEV

My dad used to say that you can lie to everyone else, but you cannot lie to yourself.

Would this have been a part of Israel and Judah’s suffering?

No one would have known about my sugary-sticky-rice-covered-turmeric-stained kitchen cupboard if I didn’t mention it to the one that offers me his unconditional love.

May those corners of my life where all the rubbish tend to gather so easily, irritate me to a point where I can talk about it.

Even if it is just with the one in the mirror to start with.

Your inspiration for the week:  Walking Free

Feel free to visit Maxie’s blog Genade is ’n dag lank