Practicing What I Preach

My husband mentioned twice yesterday that he was going to be really busy at work the next two weeks before we head out to Chicago on July 5. He even asked me to get him a cup of coffee (he works from home) which is something he never does. So, I figured I'd better work extra hard on being his helpmeet.

Well, the best laid plans....... I decided I would mow the lawn this afternoon since he didn't have time to do it over the weekend. I don't mind mowing the lawn because it is a good work out. (Obviously, we have a push mower.) The only thing that I seem to forget from summer to summer is how hard it is to start our mower! My poor husband had to come outside twice to help me start it. Both times he had to deal with my wrath of not being able to do it myself! While I got the job done, I think I stressed him out by my attitude. Actually, he said he felt guilty that I was mowing the lawn. That was not my intention!

I need to remember to keep my attitude in check as I go about doing my work! Proverbs 17:22 states, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." I think my angry attitude (crushed spirit) dried up Eric's bones and my own.

So ladies, I think the lesson here is that our attitude is just as important as our actions! We need to be cheerful givers. God says so!

"...for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7

Small Ways to be Your Husband's Helpmeet

As the saying goes, "Good things come in small packages!" Here are a few small but good things you can do to be your husband's helpmeet.

• Always have a bath towel in the bathroom for him.
• Keep the q-tip container filled.
• Keep an extra roll of tp in the bathroom.
• Occasionally bring him a cup of coffee.
• Have a supply of extra light bulbs and batteries in the house.
• Keep a steady supply of napkins and paper towels available.
  
• Make the bed...even if he's the last one up!
• Make sure that at least his clean laundry is put away.
• If he's having a busy week, mow the lawn.
  
• Keep enough computer paper on hand.
• Fill up the gas tank.

Some of these may seem silly and frivolous, and you may be thinking, "Come on! I'm busy too!" But saving your hubby some time and frustration by not having to look for things (a.k.a. asking you where they are) or do some things can prevent stress for him and the rest of your household. Plus, it helps him to be more productive for his family.

I realize that some of you may mow the lawn every week, but in our family, that's something he typically does with help from our boys. You'll have to adjust the items on my list to suit your own family.

You know another old saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" This applies to husbands/fathers as well! So I challenge you to try it. Pretty soon you may find him doing some acts of kindness for you too!

His Helpmeet

For the past week, I've been trying to be more of a "helpmeet" to my husband. My last two years at work have been tough on him. Actually, three years ago I was taking one online class and that took up more of my time than we expected. My poor hubby has had to do a lot of dishes and constantly ask, "If I was a pair of clean underwear, where would I be?"

I am very lucky that Eric has always been helpful around the house anyway and that he likes to grocery shop and loves to cook. (I detest grocery shopping, and he is better at finding the deals!) Now don't get too jealous.......I do have to point out to him what needs to be done. (Honey, have you noticed that the dog is shedding and our blue carpet is turning black?) However, my staff has been known to roll their eyes when I've brought in a lunch that Eric has packed for me.

Now that I'm off for the summer and my work load next school year will be less, I want to make things easier for him. I knew he was stressed each morning when I'd hear him sigh right before he'd start cleaning up the kitchen. (He works from home and makes his own schedule.) So right now I'm concentrating on being the one who cleans up the kitchen and having the laundry done and put away. I even emptied the trash can in his office this evening.

I am curious if he'll begin to notice what I'm doing. No, I'm not doing this for praise and thanks from him. I'm doing this to see if a lot of the high stress level within our family has been due to me working outside of the home. The extra money has been nice, but it's not worth the added stress and frustration.

God wants women to be helpers to their husbands. "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" (Genesis 2:18) I know this isn't a popular idea in our culture. I don't always like it either. But you know what? Things always go much smoother when we follow God's plan rather than our own. When our families follow his design rather than the world's, there is more peace on the homefront. I guess that is what I'm seeking right now, and it is the purpose behind my little "experiment". I want our family to live according to God's plan, and I've realized that the person I must start with is myself.

So, hopefully and prayerfully I'm striving to be Eric's "helpmeet". I'll keep you posted throughout the summer on what God is doing in our family as a result of this!