April 7, 2020: No Cleaning Allowed!
Today is National No Housework Day, so tell your parents that nobody is doing any cleaning today. And maybe do me one favor–try and make this more about making sure your mom and dad get a break from laundry, dishes, sweeping–and not just you trying to get out of your chores. I’m guessing if your house is like mine–we are making a lot more messes because we’re all in the house 24/7. So your mom and dad are probably having to do a bit more housework than normal. For today–nobody does any. But tomorrow–maybe you should pitch in and do a little extra.
Helping out around the house is a great way to be thoughtful and considerate, which are ways for us to be more like Christ. He told us to put others first. This is the Tuesday of Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. On the Tuesday before he was crucified, some men tried to trick Jesus into making a mistake, and this was when he gave this well-known answer about how to treat others:
29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’[d] 31 The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor[e] the same as you love yourself.’[f] These two commands are the most important.”
Mark 12:29-31 (ERV)
Dear Jesus, thank you for your wisdom and your example on how to treat others. Let me be thoughtful of others, but also help me focus on you during this week. Amen.
April 6, 2020: Palm Fronds
