I don't know how to fold a fitted sheet. This occurred to me for the ten thousandth time yesterday while I was fumbling around, attempting to fold a, you guessed it, fitted sheet. I don't know how many times I've bookmarked articles on how to do it, but if I've ever actually read one, I can't remember anything it said. So I stood in my living room and did my best to manhandle the king size behemoth into something that should resemble a rectangle, but despite my best effort, it looked like I had simply balled the sheet up and dropped it on the floor.
At first I had a pang of disappointment at my inability to even get close to something that looked like I knew what I was doing. What kind of woman was I that I had no idea how to fold a fitted sheet? What a miserable excuse for a house wife I am!
But in the middle of berating myself for being the worst homemaker ever, my values and life philosophy kicked in and I began really analyzing this pang of disappointment in myself. What were the values that came into play?
1. Taking care of the things I own is important.
2. My number 1 priority in keeping house is that people feel welcomed and comfortable in it.
3. Time with people is more important than a clean house.
4. Cleaning house should go as quickly as possible so I can spend time doing more meaningful things.
5. My value as a person is found in who God says I am, not in anywhere else.
Analyzing this task, and the feelings that accompanied my utter failure, became easy once I remembered my values. Yes, I like to take care of the things I own, but perfectly folding a fitted bed sheet is not going to make the bed sheet last any longer. My priority for cleaning house is that people feel welcomed and comfortable. The only time anyone is going to interact with a bed sheet is when it is actually on the bed, which means it is not folded. Otherwise, the bed sheet is hidden away in the closet. The time it would take me to properly fold a king size fitted bed sheet would be ridiculous seeing as how it doesn't make the sheet last any longer and it isn't going to affect anyone in the house. That time would be better spent playing with my kids or serving God in some way. And lastly, not being able to fold a bed sheet doesn't have any effect on my value as a human being since no where in the Bible does God say, "You are my beloved child, unless you can't fold a fitted bed sheet, then you will be subjected to eternal damnation."
So my decision...I did the best I could, which look like I only slightly better than if I just pulled it out of the dryer and wadded it up, and decided to feel no guilt over it.
I know, some of you are going to throw back at me the verses from Colossians, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Good point, but look at a time when values came into play with Mary and Martha and Jesus' reaction to it:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42
Why was Jesus so easily able to determine which was better? He knew what should be valued and judged the situation according to those values.
My point with sharing my fitted sheet story and the Mary and Martha scripture above is to show how simple things become when we sit down and determine our values and philosophy ahead of time.
In a world where cultural relativism is king and people are afraid to voice their opinions out of fear that someone who disagrees with them may be offended, decisions that should be simple can be overly complicated. We ask the anonymous "they", what we should be doing and how we should be doing it and then struggle to figure out what "they" would answer. We become a slave to what we think other people expect from us.
So how should we take back control and simplify the decisions we make?
The first step is to actually sit down and think about what your values are or discuss different values with someone you trust. What is the most important priorities in your life? What are the most important ideas and philosophies that you want to see lived out?
Next, compare your list to what God values. Look through the Bible. Is there anything you left out? Do any of your values run contrary to something the Bible says? (If we are all honest, we have some value that is contrary to God's nature...or else we would never sin!)
Then make a list of your values or journal about them somewhere. Either way, get them down on paper so if you ever need to go back and look at them, they are there.
Lastly, experiment with living out what you listed. You may find that a certain value doesn't give you the results that you thought it did. You may discover that something needs to be clarified, added or taken away. You may need to define something more broadly or make something more restrictive. And as you go through life and grow more, your values will mature too. It's okay to change your values if you start to see the world differently. That is called humility!
It's important to be purposeful about identifying what God values and what you value. It will keep you from being tossed about in the wind or wasting time and energy doing things that don't matter. It's part of having focus and becoming the person God created you to be!
But in the middle of berating myself for being the worst homemaker ever, my values and life philosophy kicked in and I began really analyzing this pang of disappointment in myself. What were the values that came into play?
1. Taking care of the things I own is important.
2. My number 1 priority in keeping house is that people feel welcomed and comfortable in it.
3. Time with people is more important than a clean house.
4. Cleaning house should go as quickly as possible so I can spend time doing more meaningful things.
5. My value as a person is found in who God says I am, not in anywhere else.
Analyzing this task, and the feelings that accompanied my utter failure, became easy once I remembered my values. Yes, I like to take care of the things I own, but perfectly folding a fitted bed sheet is not going to make the bed sheet last any longer. My priority for cleaning house is that people feel welcomed and comfortable. The only time anyone is going to interact with a bed sheet is when it is actually on the bed, which means it is not folded. Otherwise, the bed sheet is hidden away in the closet. The time it would take me to properly fold a king size fitted bed sheet would be ridiculous seeing as how it doesn't make the sheet last any longer and it isn't going to affect anyone in the house. That time would be better spent playing with my kids or serving God in some way. And lastly, not being able to fold a bed sheet doesn't have any effect on my value as a human being since no where in the Bible does God say, "You are my beloved child, unless you can't fold a fitted bed sheet, then you will be subjected to eternal damnation."
So my decision...I did the best I could, which look like I only slightly better than if I just pulled it out of the dryer and wadded it up, and decided to feel no guilt over it.
I know, some of you are going to throw back at me the verses from Colossians, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Good point, but look at a time when values came into play with Mary and Martha and Jesus' reaction to it:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42
Why was Jesus so easily able to determine which was better? He knew what should be valued and judged the situation according to those values.
My point with sharing my fitted sheet story and the Mary and Martha scripture above is to show how simple things become when we sit down and determine our values and philosophy ahead of time.
In a world where cultural relativism is king and people are afraid to voice their opinions out of fear that someone who disagrees with them may be offended, decisions that should be simple can be overly complicated. We ask the anonymous "they", what we should be doing and how we should be doing it and then struggle to figure out what "they" would answer. We become a slave to what we think other people expect from us.
So how should we take back control and simplify the decisions we make?
The first step is to actually sit down and think about what your values are or discuss different values with someone you trust. What is the most important priorities in your life? What are the most important ideas and philosophies that you want to see lived out?
Next, compare your list to what God values. Look through the Bible. Is there anything you left out? Do any of your values run contrary to something the Bible says? (If we are all honest, we have some value that is contrary to God's nature...or else we would never sin!)
Then make a list of your values or journal about them somewhere. Either way, get them down on paper so if you ever need to go back and look at them, they are there.
Lastly, experiment with living out what you listed. You may find that a certain value doesn't give you the results that you thought it did. You may discover that something needs to be clarified, added or taken away. You may need to define something more broadly or make something more restrictive. And as you go through life and grow more, your values will mature too. It's okay to change your values if you start to see the world differently. That is called humility!
It's important to be purposeful about identifying what God values and what you value. It will keep you from being tossed about in the wind or wasting time and energy doing things that don't matter. It's part of having focus and becoming the person God created you to be!
1 comment:
yay i found ur blog using google anyway this post was funnuy but i am one of those rare right left brained ppl THAT DO CARE HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET cause welph because it looks more custom and cute in my linen closet i actually google stuff like this i know kinda weird but thats just me waite is it i b4 e?? @SOMMERSKYS:-))
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