Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Posted by Tracy Wainwright at 3:53 AM
I overheard someone the other day say, "It's a true story, isn't it?" and it got me to thinking. Now, I'm one that loves a true story. I'm interested in people, in things they've had to deal with and how they've dealt with them. It's just the way I'm made. I'm also one who loves to get involved in people's lives, but I wonder, how often are we really willing to get involved with each other. Because getting involved with one anther can often be messy and painful.

It can also be super-rewarding. If you've read my blogs for a while, or know me very well, you know that I'm a big advocate of getting involved with other people, joining together, working together, and supporting each other - especially as moms. With our mobile society it's really easy to access people and be peripherally involved with them - we can email, text, facebook, etc. - but often more difficult to really be involved. We're so busy and mobile that it takes a greater effort to have a real conversation, to get together, and spend quality time in a quality relationship.

Yesterday I had one of those days where I reaped the benefits of my life overlapping with others. It brought to my mind again how much worth the effort it is to build and foster relationships with people. First, a couple of family members stopped by just to visit with my children. After a morning of breakfast, getting everyone ready, and doing school work. it was nice to have the kids entertained while I finished up some laundry and started lunch. Then my older two children went for their regular Tuesday playdates while I completed some work and started dinner. One of my friends offered to let me use her nice, new, large-capacity, front-loading washing machine to wash my comfortor in (my washing machine ate my last comfortor.) So that washed while the kids played and I fixed a little extra dinner to carry over in return. Then my in-laws came over around dinner time, hung out with us, and played with the kids while I cleaned up after dinner. Then my husband and I tag-teamed the kids for baths, bed and a little more school work. It was a busy day, which isn't unusual, but it was also a day that was fruitful in chores and relationships.

Being a(n almost full-time) stay-at-home mom there are many days that I have that are totally engrossed in housework and child care. Alone. Solo. Isolated. Now, don't get me wrong. I have enough introvertedness that some of those days are good, too. But I definately miss the interaction and relationship with others. I believe that's because we were made to live in relationships with others, to intertwine our lives with theirs. Of course it can get messy and painful, but it is also rewarding and fulfilling.

Jesus said "love each other" (John 15:12, 17) and "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19.) I believe that means getting involved, serving, meeting needs, laughing with, crying with, and being a part of peoples lives. These are the things that can never be measured, but are worth more than any material thing any one of us could ever possess.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I overheard someone the other day say, "It's a true story, isn't it?" and it got me to thinking. Now, I'm one that loves a true story. I'm interested in people, in things they've had to deal with and how they've dealt with them. It's just the way I'm made. I'm also one who loves to get involved in people's lives, but I wonder, how often are we really willing to get involved with each other. Because getting involved with one anther can often be messy and painful.

It can also be super-rewarding. If you've read my blogs for a while, or know me very well, you know that I'm a big advocate of getting involved with other people, joining together, working together, and supporting each other - especially as moms. With our mobile society it's really easy to access people and be peripherally involved with them - we can email, text, facebook, etc. - but often more difficult to really be involved. We're so busy and mobile that it takes a greater effort to have a real conversation, to get together, and spend quality time in a quality relationship.

Yesterday I had one of those days where I reaped the benefits of my life overlapping with others. It brought to my mind again how much worth the effort it is to build and foster relationships with people. First, a couple of family members stopped by just to visit with my children. After a morning of breakfast, getting everyone ready, and doing school work. it was nice to have the kids entertained while I finished up some laundry and started lunch. Then my older two children went for their regular Tuesday playdates while I completed some work and started dinner. One of my friends offered to let me use her nice, new, large-capacity, front-loading washing machine to wash my comfortor in (my washing machine ate my last comfortor.) So that washed while the kids played and I fixed a little extra dinner to carry over in return. Then my in-laws came over around dinner time, hung out with us, and played with the kids while I cleaned up after dinner. Then my husband and I tag-teamed the kids for baths, bed and a little more school work. It was a busy day, which isn't unusual, but it was also a day that was fruitful in chores and relationships.

Being a(n almost full-time) stay-at-home mom there are many days that I have that are totally engrossed in housework and child care. Alone. Solo. Isolated. Now, don't get me wrong. I have enough introvertedness that some of those days are good, too. But I definately miss the interaction and relationship with others. I believe that's because we were made to live in relationships with others, to intertwine our lives with theirs. Of course it can get messy and painful, but it is also rewarding and fulfilling.

Jesus said "love each other" (John 15:12, 17) and "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19.) I believe that means getting involved, serving, meeting needs, laughing with, crying with, and being a part of peoples lives. These are the things that can never be measured, but are worth more than any material thing any one of us could ever possess.

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