Most of our friends and family have hired a cleaner to clean their homes and make their lives easier.
We don’t have a cleaner.
Sometimes I wish we did.
When I learn that yet another friend has hired a cleaner are the times I most want a cleaner for myself. There’s a deep feeling inside that I’m missing out and a competitive feeling starts gnawing at me on the inside.
The truth is that we simply can’t afford a cleaner.
Since we’ve had kids finances have been extremely tight. I’ve decided to stay at home with the kids as much as I can, and recently my husband has taken on a job that allows him a lot more time at home with us too. So we’ve effectively chosen not to have a cleaner and to take on the task ourselves so that we can spend more time with the kids.
Some of our friends/family have family businesses where they can afford a cleaner and still spend lots of time with their kids. And hiring a cleaner in their case frees up even more time to spend with their kids.
Change your thinking
Often just changing my thinking helps get rid of the jealous feeling inside. These are the things I think to get me out of my funk.
Unique life journey
It really helps when I remember that everyone has been called to a different journey in life.
Just as we are all created in a unique and different way, we also all have a unique journey mapped out especially for us.
Remembering this gets rid of that yucky missing out, competitive feeling inside.
I have a unique journey, and it doesn’t include a cleaner right now.
Jesus didn’t have a cleaner
Even God’s own son didn’t have a cleaner.
This makes me snap out of my pity party.
The person who in all the world most deserves a cleaner – didn’t have one.
Not only did he not have a cleaner, but he often didn’t even have a place to live or sleep. Instead he camped out as he walked from town to town sharing the message he was born to share. This was his unique journey mapped out for him by his Father.
We have the same Father, who has mapped out our unique journeys too.
This world is nothing compared to eternity
Remembering eternity always helps put everything in perspective for me.
This world is a brief moment compared to eternity.
Where I spend eternity depends on what I do with this life on earth. I need to stick to the path set out before me by following my internal sense of peace (even when it takes me on a hard path), and submitting every day to God, who holds my life in his hands and will decide if I spend eternity with him or not.
