Living By Diamonds

At a recent women's lake retreat (which was just oh-so-a-dream-come-true), I had the blessing of being read an important passage from the book, Start by Jon Acuff that spoke about defining the areas of your life that are either "diamonds" or those that are "rocks." 'Areas of your life' could include: activities; hobbies; chores; marriage; motherhood; work; etc. The areas of your life that are truly most valuable & profitable for your well-being or for your life's purpose are the "diamonds." The rest are just "rocks." The latter could even be distractions in your life. As I sat thoughtfully to consider my diamonds and rocks, I dwelled mostly on the area of housework...was it a rock or a diamond? Of course I would like my diamonds to be something fancier, of which I won't list ideas for because that would take away from the point :). At the end of the day/week/month, your house needs attended to. So as I considered this lovely area of my life, the word "house" became a clear "rock." The word "home" became a clear diamond - crystal clear and shiny and sparkling. I believe women are the (ooh, let me phrase this very carefully and not stereotypically) 'makers of the home' (homemygoodness I said it!). Women are vibrant, beautiful souls who usually have the talent and knack for decorating, organizing, aromatics, flower-gardening, nurturing and so on. Housework can be done by anybody - male or female. So, then housework is a bland rock. Rocks do exist in our world and aren't always bad, so that means that you don't necessarily ignore them. But the shiny diamond of making your home a place that people want to be is something to be focused on.

Here is a list of what I value in my diamond of "home:" 1. organizing the clutter so that people can find things 2. bringing home healthy food that I can prepare for my family...affordably 3. being kind, loving unconditionally, and offering grace to those that live with me 4. receiving God into my life and spreading His Holy Spirit throughout 5. happiness and fun times.

I recommend defining diamonds and rocks in your life. Start by listing 5 diamonds, and then you will be able to identify the rocks.