It was good

Earlier this week, when I considered where to tackle my 2009 reading list, I felt like I ought to begin by re-reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking. This is a wonderful book that every homemaker ought to have on her shelf (in my opinion... but you don't have to take my word for it!), and as I've been feeling rather, um, unmotivated as a homemaker, I thought it would be a good place to start.

Already, I've had to take long, hard looks at myself.

I love how the author, Edith Schaeffer, begins by laying the foundational understanding that we have been created by a Creator, in the image of Himself, which means that we, too, have creative abilities and desires within us. I must confess, though, that as I read about the individual who daydreams of expressing herself in certain arenas but fails to share her creative talents where she is planted, I wondered if there was any hope for me. I mean, I've gotta be honest here: I don't daydream about creating or expressing anything; I dream about sleep, and I dream about not doing a single thing for a whole uninterrupted two hours.

But it's good to be challenged, to confess, to be re-inspired.

I need the reminder that He made me in His image, and He is a Creator. How that creative ability comes forth varies from person to person and from season to season in our lives, but I need to remember that I am not just making a table look nicer, I am walking in His design and I will find fulfillment in that. Putting forth the effort and the discipline to create isn't just something I do to serve my family or others around me, it is good for my soul. After all, isn't that what He said after He had created?

"And it was good."