Work, Toil, and Blessing...Blessing?

When you see the flowers starting to peek out from their winter blanket of leaves, do you think of Spring cleaning? Do you itch to shake a rug and clean a window and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah?

I can't say I really get the itch. But it helps to be able to open a window and let the warm breezes in. Unfortunately, there are only cold winds today.

Nevertheless, I'm trying to make myself get a little Spring cleaning done and hating that I'm fizzling out so early in the afternoon.

I sat down to check my email when my desk calendar caught my eye. I'm often tempted to stuff it in a drawer, truth be told.

It is forever tossing out tidbits that prick my heart.

This is what it says.

That every man may eat and drink,

and find satisfaction in all his toil-

This is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:13

The Lord didn't burden us with work.

He blessed us with it.

Wow. I have to admit, I love to survey a job well done, but I don't often think of the work involved as a gift. Don't get me wrong, I'll hang in there and get-r-done, because I was brought up that way.

But thinking of it as a blessing? Mmmm, not so much.

I have a long way to go.

That's sobering considering I've been on the boys a lot lately to do their chores without the moans and groans and rolling of the eyes. Am I really any different when my mouth is quiet and my heart is moaning? Or when I procrastinate (and blog instead)??

My house isn't trashed. But there are always a thousand things I could be doing. My list is never ending, so I try not to feel guilty when I take a break, or spend time on the computer.

That isn't always easy. Especially when I tell my boys constantly that their work needs to be done before they go play.

How do you all do it? How do you find balance? Do you have a formula that works for you? How do you organize your day to fit everything in? I'm just curious.