Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Showing off the inside today....



Most generally, I do not show off the inside of my kitchen cabinets, but since I am in cleaning and reorganizing mode, I don't mind showing the end result of that effort. In fact, Hubs thinks I've totally flipped to be taking pictures of my cupboards and drawers. I suppose it only makes sense to us homemakers who rarely have our work seen and appreciated by others. I'm not trying to gather accolades for keeping my home in order, but you know how it is. You do the laundry, fold it, and put it into the proper family members' drawers; or perhaps you're like me and put the piles on the beds for THEM to put away. Who sees the stacks of clean socks and underwear in those drawers or the freshly laundered and pressed shirts hanging behind the closet doors? Who sees the loaded pantry where you've expertly stacked canned goods and rotated the older cans to the front and the new ones to the back? Who sees the clean silverware drawer where all the forks and knives line up in their proper places? Never mind the other drawer that has the spatulas, rolling pin, potato masher and all the others -- it never has been very neat, but all the sticks & stirrers are there....somewhere.

It's this way at your house too, I'm sure. Every day you do little things that make a big difference to your family, but they aren't always visible. You might even grow weary of doing them again and again. But know this: Someone is watching. Someone does appreciate the fact that you constantly take good care of your husband and children and your home. You serve them invisibly but faithfully. This reminds me of a little book I read some time ago called The Invisible Woman by Nicole Johnson. In this book I learned of "invisible people" who carved beautiful statues that were hidden behind walls in cathedrals. Some of these medieval artists walled up their best work because "they believed God himself saw it, and they left it for God's eyes only." Their work has only been found in this last century and no one even knows the artists names.

I feel invisible sometimes too and I know that the daily work I do goes unnoticed more often than not, but I keep on doing it and so do you. Consider this a little Pat On The Back just for you! I can't see your drawers and closets and I didn't watch you scrub the toilet or vacuum under the bed, or rock a sick child to sleep, but I know you did it, and God does too.

The next time you decide to clean a drawer, go ahead and line it with pretty oilcloth. And when you decide to clean and organize your kitchen cabinets put some pretty napkins on the shelves of your cupboards with the glass doors. Make a few pretty hangers to hang up your pressed shirts and fancy underthings. Life is short and you might as well make the hidden corners of your home beautiful and cheerful, even if it's only you and God and a very few others who happen to notice.

Amighty God, who sees every sparrow, continue to teach me life's great lessons from the world's great cathedrals. Make me more invisible. Strengthen my heart to do the things that no one sees or appreciates, and to do them as unto You. Help me make personal sacrifices with no trumpet and no credit to myself. Let me be more invisible in you, so that real love may be more clearly visible. Let me allow humility to cloak my love at every opportunity. And if history never knows my name, may I have helped it know yours a little better. Allow me to be invisible, that the world might see you -- the living God who sees and loves all invisible women. Amen.
~Nicole Johnson

10 comments:

  1. I love the Nicole Johnson quote! Thank you for the encouragement and the goal to make myself less so that He can be seen more.

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  2. Oh I like what you did with your cabinet. Lots of my favorite kind of goodies in it, too!

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  3. Oh, Oh, Oh!! I just have to tell you I just started reading "The Invisible Woman" that I ordered from PBS. It is so good and so true. I am enjoying it and feel like that at times. Aren't the pictures of the cathedrals beautiful? This was a great, great post. Your kitchen cabinets look so pretty. I do love the colors of the pennants, so warm. Great idea about lining the drawers with oilcloth.:)
    Thank you * Bless you!

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  4. I LOVE seeing the inside of cabinets and that one of yours is gorgeous.

    It's funny, I just posted about this week's organizing I've been doing. Almost everything was "behind the scenes" cabinets and such. It must be in the air?

    I'll have to check that book. It sounds wonderful.

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  5. Jody,

    I had to chuckle...T. and R. are cut from the same cloth. R. would have asked that question too! The other day, he asked why I took a picture of the soup in our new bowls. For the blog, of course!

    But I'm interested in the goings on in your home so please keep taking those photos and sharing. It's inspiring!

    Joyce

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  6. Oh how I needed that pat on the back. Your reference to doing the same thing over and over and being unappreciated really struck home. My biggest frustration is cleaning up all the dog hair after two German Shepherds and then having to do it again the next day and the next day and on and on. Loved your entry of today - it was inspiring and made me feel much better. Thanks.

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  7. Yes I think my husband would be snickering at me too - although I've noticed he likes me to take pictures of the woodpile!!!

    I love looking at cupboards - and the pretty things inside. Nice job!!

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  8. What a fun post Jody. And a very pretty cabinet too, I might add. When I look around here, I realize that I don't do as much invisible work as I should be doing LOL!

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  9. Love this post. You are right. Talking about making the 'hidden' places in our home nice...even if no one sees...made me think about the 'hidden ' places of our heart, those that our Savior sees. They need to be kept in order and in beauty as well.

    ~M~

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  10. Mary,
    I love the Nicole J. prayer a lot.

    Ellen,
    The neat thing is that everything in the cabinet has a memory or a special person behind it.

    Debbie,
    I just know you'll love "Invisible Woman." Thanks for your encouragement.

    Brenda,
    Best wishes on your cupboard cleaning too.

    Joyce,
    Now I don't feel so pick-on since R. is the same way to you. I just smile and go on with what I'm doing.

    Lena,
    I'm glad to have given you that Pat On The Back. It's hard work keeping the day-to-day chores done.

    Island Sparrow,
    The woodpile! Now that's an idea for a photo. Mine is dwindling.

    Thimbleanna,
    That "invisible work" is always there whenever you want to do it. Thankfully it IS invisible.

    Ranchwife,
    You are so right....the invisible places of our heart need much tending to and beauty. Thanks for the reminder.

    Storybook Woods,
    Well, your cabinet probably has more things in it than mine, but I thought yours was beautiful.

    Thanks for the sweet comments everybody!

    Jody

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