Apr. 2020, Week 3: Household Economy
by Soren and Ever Johnson
The silver linings of this stay-at-home season aren’t exactly hidden. One of them is summed up in this kitchen dialogue we’ve heard on many recent mornings: “C’mon, Charlie, let’s go see if anything sprouted!” says our younger daughter to her little brother. “And we need to check on the chickens,” he replies, throwing in some clucking and strutting.
Soon, they truck out to our little greenhouse to observe the progress of their tiny vegetable and flower seedlings and then over to the shed to admire the hens and gather eggs. At some point, they’ll let the chickens out into the yard, play on the swing, and wander down to the site of our expanding garden to get dirty in the newly-tilled soil, maybe taking the chickens with to dig out some worms.
Despite the mounting, sobering trials of the pandemic, this scene is undoubtedly a plus. Normally, they’d already be at school and their outdoorsing at home would have to be squeezed in between arriving home on the afternoon bus and doing homework, getting ready for CCD, piano lessons or a baseball game, then dinner. Now, school is just a matter of a couple of hours online, and then they have almost all the time in the world for their farming and gardening dreams.
Ahhh, the household economy at work! Level Three of the Trinity House is the focus in this third week of April. And spring brings an overall pleasant blend of cleaning, clearing and building to accommodate the family’s plans for this new year at Gilead’s Balm, our home on Mount Gilead south of Leesburg.
Of course, some arguing and overwhelm go into the house and yard projects, but through the ups and downs, we’re mostly just grateful to be spending time together in the beautiful place God gave us to call home. The more time we spend working on and appreciating our little corner of creation, the more we revel in God’s blessing and care for us. And that joy is where it’s at, where our home life together really comes alive.
So, whatever uncertainty or anxiety you may be experiencing now, consider how some patient focus on your household economy might open up an avenue of grace. One friend of ours spent last Saturday afternoon weeding with his kids. As they worked, he held up weeds and talked to his kids about how sin likewise strangles and chokes the virtues. They ended the afternoon with what they called “7 bags of sin” and a much more virtuous yard!
Kudos to this dad, who took what could have been an afternoon of screens and gaming, and set the stage for an offline win-win-win for his family’s household economy: 1) family togetherness through shared work, 2) a simple lesson in faith (remember, most of Jesus’ teaching came in parables), and 3) a tangible advance in a beautiful yard. That’s a COVID-19 silver lining his children will likely remember for years to come.
As for us, we’ve got about two or three weeks left before we need to plant the seedlings, and as you can see from the above pic, we’ve still got a lot of work to do to get our new, eight-foot, deer-proof fence working for us. But without lots of activities and outings, we should be able to pull it off! A huge project for sure, but perhaps worthy of this unusual moment in time.
Once the new, larger garden is in place, we hope it will be a reminder of this time of staying at home, a reminder that even though you may have lots of options for where to go and what to do, that doesn’t mean you need to exercise them all the time. Because what you’re leaving behind may just be the better option!
Don’t Miss…
We are excited to invite you to sign up for our upcoming LIVESTREAM opportunity to attend the Heaven In Your Home Workshop: How to Turn a Crisis into a Time of Grace for Your Family & the World:
- This Thursday, Apr. 23rd, 8-9:30 p.m. ET
- Mon., May 4th, 1-2:30 p.m. ET
- Wed., May 20th, 8-9:30 p.m. ET
Learn more and register here, and then spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends.
Heaven In Your Home Toolkit
– For an inspiring collection of articles on your household economy – the shared work of your home – check out Dr. John Cuddeback’s Life Craft site.
– We were inspired by an interview Pope Francis gave a few weeks ago, in which he spoke of the “home church” and said, “We have to respond to our confinement with all our creativity. We can either get depressed and alienated—through media that can take us out of our reality—or we can get creative. At home we need an apostolic creativity…” Read the entire interview here.
– Dr. Michael Horne has an excellent piece out this week on 5 communication tips for spouses.
– Author Justin Coulson at the Institute for Family Studies explains “What Every Child Needs Right Now,” focusing on being heard, humor, help, and hope.
– Dr. Jean Twenge and Professor Brad Wilcox hosted a webinar last week on “Getting Real About Screen Time Amidst the Coronavirus.” The youtube video is now available. It offers a scholarly and big-picture view on trends in our culture — and can prompt us as parents to reassess the role of media in our kids’ lives.
Ministry Testimonials
– “We are already seeing improvements in our day-to-day as we implement the 5 levels! Woohoo!” Workshop Participant
Please Join Us In Prayer
We invite you to keep the following needs in prayer:
- For a friend, whose husband died suddenly this past weekend, for the repose of his soul, and for their five children.
- For the unemployed, the underemployed, and all those facing difficult financial decisions in these days.
- For all participants of our upcoming and recent workshops, that their family life may be blessed and encouraged in this difficult time.
- For wisdom for our leaders, as they make decisions about reopening our economy.
- For all senior citizens, doctors, nurses, and essential workers.
- For all families and couples, that this time of trials might also be a time of renewal in their daily journey of faith.
