Chores

Chores

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

Proverbs 31:15

Sometimes it’s the alarm that beeps first. Other times it’s a baby’s cry that splits the air, but there is never a time an Amish mother gets to sleep in. She’s usually out at the barn by four o’clock, working by her husband’s side. There’s milking to be done, and if things go well, Mom’s back in the kitchen in time to greet the children when they wake.

By four in the afternoon, after a full day of dishes, cooking, washing, cleaning, and sewing, it’s back to the barn. In the winter it’s nearly dark by then, and she takes a lantern for light, but in the spring and summer the sun is still bright, and the children can run and play near the barn as she milks. There are times when a fussy baby has to wait for attention. There are times when the weeds in the garden have to wait too. While large Amish dairy farms now bring in power equipment and refrigerated bulk tanks to meet safety standards, on small Amish farms, metal milk buckets and three-legged stools are still used.

I’m sure there are exceptions, but it often seems that those who work the hardest complain the least. Instead of moaning about their many chores, members of an Amish family roll up their sleeves and set to work.

Do you give the same dedication to what fills your day? God has given each of us unique roles. Some of us may be at home serving family. Others may work in a business. And still others may do both. Hard work helps us accomplish tasks, but our attitudes as we work are what draw others to God.

“Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically,” says Romans 12:11. Our work for God and others will always be a part of our lives. The question is how will we serve.

Dear heavenly Father, give me the strength to do even the smallest tasks well. Even more, give me a thankful heart so that I may work with joy!