Yep, those are mine! I just bought a case of organic peaches so, like any normal person immediately stuffed one in my mouth, leaning over the kitchen sink as juice dripped down my fingers and chin, followed by peaches in my dinner oatmeal and a peachy yogurt delight before bed. Mmm,mmmm!
So what’s my point besides making you yearn for your own fresh peach? Well, two things actually. First, people wonder how I as a single mom in full time ministry make it without a secular wage earning job. My answer always is by faith, but by faith contains practical elements as well. We follow an organic, whole, non-processed foods lifestyle (which can be very pricey) so I buy a significant portion of our food in bulk. What I don’t grow in the backyard I try to buy in season and preserve by freezing or canning.
Take the peaches for example: I bought 20 lbs. of organic peaches for $25. Right away this saves $2.30/lb. over the price of fresh organic peaches in the grocery. I packed 12+ bags (about 2 c. each) of peeled, sliced peaches – a similar size bag of frozen organic peaches cost $3.49-$4.29 at Kroger. In addition, I had about 10-12 fresh peaches left to eat over the next few hours, ahem, days. SEE TUTORIAL HERE ON FREEZING PEACHES.
A messy, sticky job but well worth the cost not only in financial savings but also as an opportunity to whoop up on the devil – yes, I was bagging up some victory along with those peaches.
Yes, I said VICTORY! Because along with that golden bowl of syrupy goodness I was PRAYING, sistah!
I prayed for our nation, for Israel, my family and whoever else the Lord brought to my mind. Doing chores around the house is one way God gives us the opportunity to know Him better & to change our world by allowing us windows of time to pray. Betcha never thought scrubbing a toilet could change the world but it’s all in how you look at it! It’s important we recognize those times and open our mouths in obedience. Prayer does not have to be on your knees, although there are certainly many occasions when it should be. Prayer should happen like conversation.
It should be part of our normal, everyday life – mixed in, just like the peaches in my yogurt.
Living by faith is a challenge but praying without ceasing is critical to changing our world for the better. Praying gives us strength and a heart of faith to persevere when we’d rather quit. So let me exhort you, as Paul did the Thessalonians*: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. Let me challenge you to make the most of those chore times by putting on an attitude of gratitude and talking to God. He’s always listening!
Practice with this little prayer: Father, You are amazing! Thank you for giving me life, breath and the hands to clean / cook / wipe butts (fill in the blank – your option). Please help me to live by faith and not by sight, to trust you with all that I have. Please, give wisdom to our government officials, create peace in Jerusalem, protect my children, and transform our culture. I know it starts at home so I’m starting now with this prayer. I love you Jesus! (See my teaching on prayer)
Helpful Hint: use a sticky note to remind yourself to pray – tape to your bathroom mirror, vacuum cleaner or over the kitchen sink so that you remember to pray until it becomes a habit!
Money saved on peaches: approx.$46, but truthfully, we wouldn’t be able to afford 12 bags of peaches unless we did it this way!
Time spent in prayer: PRICELESS
And, that’s how a single mom in full time ministry makes it!
This post was shared on the Homestead Barn Hop #172 on Weed ’em and Reap!
*Thessalonians 5:16-18