FINALLY SOME MATURITY

Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,”

Definitely we need to be striving for spiritual maturity in our walk with God, having a solid foundation on the basic doctrines and with sound confidence in His strength and guidance... but this all requires discipline and consistent dedication. It’s interesting how my devotional life will parallel my housecleaning tasks – the most basic chores of life - can very well expose one’s internal struggles.

Growing up, one of my daily chores was to wash the dishes. This expectation was very clear and up front in my mind, but after every supper, without fail, Mom would exclaim, “Well, I’m going to go do the books now, Tanis, you can do the dishes!” Grr! I knew that, and I certainly did not want to be TOLD to do that. It didn’t matter how sing-songy she made her voice, I hated that so much. This just made the chore even more detestable.

So in married life, it was ironic that when my husband and I split up the housework, the dishes fell to me. Even more ironic, after one of our first suppers as a couple, Len exclaimed, “Well, I’m going to hit the books now, you can do the dishes.” At first I did not know why I was so hurt and furious at him, but within hours the memories flooded back. After my tearful story and explanative request, he gained some understanding toward my aversion and compliantly abstained from making this well-worn statement.

Eventually, my freedom as the one in charge of the household allowed me the flexibility to rebel. For at least 22 years, I would let the dishes pile up as high as they could until I either needed something or I ran out of counter space. My husband bared it patiently, so I’m not sure what finally compelled me to eventually “grow up.” Perhaps the logic of, “why not!” and the spurring new cliché “Just do it!” And the realization that it actually felt good - coupled with the benefit of being organized...

So it would appear, no matter how tedious and seemingly insignificant, the basic chores of life are necessary to a healthy and happy life.