Blessings in elbow grease
Okay. Let me start off by saying, this week has been a complete whirlwind. I traveled, spent precious time with family, and simply was able to just “be”. I hate that I couldn’t stay longer, but being a business owner, of not one, not two, but three businesses, would not allow me to. Even in my time away, however, I was constantly thinking about what I needed to do, and what I wanted to post about this week. As usual, it hit me at the last minute. (No surprise there) I was knee-deep in work and it came to me…I am a blessed woman. My family is blessed. A lot of these blessings came through no effort, but some, we just had to use a little elbow grease in order to obtain. Let’s go!
Anybody who knows me knows that I (used to have) a problem with bathrooms. I wouldn't call it OCD per se, but I would say that I hated looking at a bathroom in its natural light. It made me sick to my stomach. I would not stand in a bathtub with my bare feet. I had to have some type of towel down. It’s crazy though because it made me sick to even pull the towel up and ring out the water. I prayed to God when I started having children that I didn’t pass that foolishness on to them. I despised putting them in the bathtub, so I held them as I showered until they got too big for me to continue to do so. When they became too big, I put them in the tub, but the bath was to the point. They did not get to play around in the water. I was so thankful when they got old enough to clean themselves.
Four years ago, we moved to a different city. I promise, overnight, those feelings went away. It was like they fell off of me. Truth be told, I never even thought about it again until just recently. Remember those three businesses I mentioned earlier? Well, one of them just so happens to be a residential cleaning company. Crazy right?! God is so good. He took those feelings of repulsion away from me because there was something greater waiting for me and my family, and he would not allow something like that to block the blessing.
Once upon a time, I could have NEVER, and I do mean NEVER, cleaned someone else's toilets. I barely wanted to clean my own, but I had to. Now, I don’t even think about it, I just do it. All kinds of doors have opened up for us and opportunities have started coming from every direction. I thought being able to provide for my family would come from that degree in healthcare I carry, but God had a different plan. I love healthcare. It has been a part of my life for over a decade, but when God causes a shift, you shift. Our family has been able to be financially blessed because my husband and I get knee-deep in the elbow grease. We work with our hands, as well as our minds and it has opened up so many doors.
Why am I saying all of this? Truthfully? I have no idea! I just hope that this encourages someone who is looking for blessings in places that are without a little effort. Sometimes, God wants us to get a little dirty and out of our comfort zone so that he can show us that he is God. Our plans don’t match his, and he wins every single time. I thank him for that! He knows what's best for me before I even know it. So, it's okay if you don’t have that job in the corner office overlooking some beautiful bodies of water. Your blessing may come from working with sheetrock, your blessing may come from snaking a drain, and your blessing may even come from cleaning a toilet. Let God use you. Let him have his way and don’t question the why. Just prepare for the overflow!
