Good Morning Girls!  Years ago, my husband used to hire someone to come and wash all of our windows; inside, outside, and screens.  It was my Mother's Day/ Birthday present......and I hated it!  I thought it was the most lame, unromantic gift there could ever be.  I complained about it to my friends every single year.  Well, a few years ago that gift no longer fit into our budget so there was no longer a window washer knocking on the door come May.  At first I didn't care.  I really could have cared less about the windows.  There was so much crap to keep up with inside that I never really noticed the windows.  The few times I did notice it I would shrug it off thinking that the windows were now up there with the carpet......trashed and awaiting some kind of miracle.
I am not much of an outside busywork person.  I tend to do all the outside stuff.  But yesterday morning I looked at all of the leaves that were stockpiled on the deck and thought it would be a good day to get rid of them.  I figured my friends would be impressed as last year the leaves were there until the 4th Of July...........only because we were having family over!  So I spent an hour cleaning the deck, smiling to myself at the thought of Jeremy saying some smarty pants remark about the leaf fairy or something.  When it was all cleaned up I looked around feeling pretty good......and then I noticed the windows.  Seriously?  Do I really want to take that on?  We have 66 windows in our house.  That's not including both sides!  I wanted to be in the sun, and I felt like keeping busy, so I decided to do  all the windows I could reach from the deck (we have a big deck that goes the length of the house).  So I set out on my little window cleaning journey.  Twenty two windows.....44 if you count both sides, 18 screens.  These are big windows.....half of them as tall as me.  But I did it!  My family at one point came and sat on the deck and watched me (how thoughtful), but I kept plugging away with a cheerful heart.  I didn't even say one martyr like comment (miracle).  In fact, I didn't even have any martyr comments stirring in my head (bigger miracle!).  There were a couple of times when I thought of asking Tom "hey- will you go grab that other screen for me?".  but I decided not to.  This was my little project and I wanted it all to myself.
The deck/window project took me about 6 hours.  When I was done I looked in the windows.  Then I went in and looked out the windows.  I felt pretty good about the work I had done.  I felt even better at the fact that I did it will a cheerful heart, and my family did not have one of those days were they thought "mom is in one of her cleaning rages".  In fact, when they asked me if I wanted to go for a walk, I set all my stuff down and said sure....something I would never normally do out of the fear that I would not resume my project when I returned.
So why am I telling you this story?  Am I pattting myself on the back for working hard and not yelling at my family?  NO, that is behavior that should be the norm (it just isn't always).  Am I wanting a little attention, or sympathy,  or perhaps a REWARD?  You all know how much I love rewards right?  No, that is also not the reason I am telling you this.  I am telling you this because I believe it was my time in the Word that made my window cleaning day so rewarding.  You see, I had been studying earlier in the morning and I was reading verses about what the Lord rewards and todays verse settled in my heart and came to mind each time I felt the urge to ask for unneeded help.  I believe it is what made my day so great!

Colossians 3:23-24  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord, rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

And my earthly reward for my work is how great my windows look!  Three years worth of dirt is pretty disgusting!

Love, thanks, and a sparkly day to you all,
Jen