Just Sweep Your Own House

My friend, M, and I talk about being mothers and running our homes. We talk about our town. We talk about national and world events.

While I've been trying not to swim in negative news, it's hard not to let it get to me sometimes. Same for her.

We feel helpless to do anything about big, huge problems that are so overwhelming only God can fix them.

Where is our voice? Who would listen? What can we do? We don't have a big circle of influence.

Wait! We do have influence in a very small circle--our families. Maybe our town in a small way.

Other than that, we're really just two ladies that nobody knows, loving God, country, and family, and trying to live like Christ.

Neither one of us can fix the big picture of what is wrong in our country and world, but we can help fix our little spot of that big picture.

• We can train our children up to be productive, considerate people who learn to think for themselves.

• We can show love and kindness to those around us.

• We can be encouragers to the people in our town.

• We can pray like our hair is on fire.

• We can read the Bible to keep the right sort of information flowing into our minds.

• We can keep our own houses in order. (Whenever I'm feeling helpless or out of control, I wash the dishes and sweep the floors. Something about putting my own corner of the world in order helps me to think, to sweep the worry out of my head while I'm sweeping it out of my house.)

God didn't tell us to fix the big picture. For now, he has my friend and me working in our own tiny little spots in this world, the small spheres of influence we have. And that's just fine.