The Way Things Don’t Have To Be
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Marriage on Monday, August 25, 2008 9:44 AM
I like this observation from Zoom Times, the blog of the alternate universe which is a friend of mine’s family life. The post is about how she fits both prayer and fitness into her life using a method she calls “stacking the deck.” Follow the link to read what that means, but I was edified by her description of how she talked herself out of resenting an annoying task—in this case, mowing the lawn.
“I followed that nagging discontent back to its source and found, as is often the case, a nasty little lie in a dark hole. Dragged out into the light, it went like this: I do most of the cooking and cleaning, ergo the Emperor should do the yard work. Really? Even if he has grass allergies? Even if he hates to do it? Even if he does other, more important stuff around the house like take the kids so I can blog? Even if I actually kind of like to mow the lawn? Even if it provides me with some much needed exercise, fresh air and a task that stays completed for up to a week and makes me feel really good to have it done and it lets me think without interruption for nearly an hour? The lie evaporated and now I just mow the lawn. It’s Living in Reality instead of the irritating misery of stewing about How Things Should Be.”
As a practical matter, I’m of the opinion that lawn-mowing is why God made boys. In the broader sense, though, she nails it, doesn’t she? How often our resentments are founded on little lies the Tempter tells us—or simply the false expectation that the way it was when I grew up, or the way others do it, is the way it oughta be. And how quickly false assumptions melt away if simply dragged into the light.
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