Chains Breaking, Shackles Falling

Since my eyes have been opened to my workaholic and codependent tendencies, as well as my perfectionism and tendency to feel responsible for the whole world, I have started to change. I almost can't believe it. I almost want to knock on wood right now. It seems too good to be true. But then I remember. It is true. The Lord is teaching me and helping me in ways no one else could. It truly feels like the chains that Satan was binding me with are breaking and his shackles are falling away. I can't believe how much energy I was losing because of worry and stress.

So I've been letting everyone else own their problems. And I've actually had some time to focus on owning my problems... And time to enjoy being with my children. And time to think about what to teach them. And time to exercise. And time to do a few of the things on my to do list that have been sitting there for months and months.

One other thing has happened to coincide with these changes. My husband and I have taken on the responsibility of teaching our children more about order and sharing the family's work and taking care of our own personal items. If I get it out, I put it back. If I didn't get it out...I don't put it back. (So not only am I letting others own their problems, I am letting them own their jobs/work/responsibilities). This has come partially because of the James Jones CDs and partially because of the wonderful Montessori School our daughter is attending.

Daddy decided that the kitchen is closed at 7 pm and then everyone helps clean up. No more eating (ie making messes) after that. So for a week now, every night after dinner, Mommy does dishes, Daddy puts food away, sweeps and wipes counters, and our daughter cleans off the table and helps. This very simple family activity has changed my life! What a blessing it is to wake up to a clean kitchen and have time to spend on other things! What a blessing it is after the kids are in bed not to have to go back to clean a dirty kitchen! What a blessing it is to hang out and be goofy together, singing while we work side by side.

Daddy also decided that we read scriptures, have family prayer, and do the bedtime routine and then it is over at 8:30 and we leave the bedroom. Period. We've been doing that since school started. This has also been a huge blessing.

I told my husband on about the third night of cleaning up together, “All this time, we just needed you to bring order to our home. Thank you.” Hmm. Maybe Daddy should make some more decisions.

It's amazing sometimes what simple solutions there are to problems that have plagued me for years. Sometimes it just takes someone else to point them out to me. What is equally amazing, but scary, is how stealthy Satan can be at gradually binding us down with the chains of worry, guilt, resentment, hate, judgment, disdain, and even a “woe-is-me” attitude about life. He shackles us down so gradually that we believe the weight of his chains is part of who we are and we don't even see them clearly. When the Lord opens the eyes of our understanding, and we do see them, we are surprised at what we find. I was. All along, I held the key that would unlock them. I only needed to discover and understand how to turn it.