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Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

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Chief Cook and Bottle WasherAre you a chief cook and bottle washer?

  • In your home?
  • At work?
  • In your club?
  • In other organizations?

If you answer yes to the following questions, you qualify.

  • Are you in charge of almost everything?
  • Do you complete most of the work yourself?
  • Are your tasks important but routine?
  • Do you often wish for more help?

We can easily complain if we have the role of chief cook and bottle washer. Perhaps, however, we need to look at our responsibilities a different way.

  • Think about people whose health will not allow them to work.
  • Express gratitude for our abilities.
  • Thank those whose help we receive.
  • Train others to perform similar tasks.
  • Request help when we need it. People are willing to help more often than we realize.

For all those chief cook and bottle washers out there, thank you. For everyone else, lend those special people a helping hand.

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work” (Matthew 24:46 TLB).

Thank you to Brad Montgomery for the photo of sweet Savannah, a chief cook and bottle washer in training. Thank you to Rebecca Stafford, a longtime chief cook and bottle washer, for suggesting this expression.

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Snowed Under

Snowed Under

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Snowed UnderMuch of the United States has been snowed under for several weeks.

Almost everything outside disappeared under multiple layers of snow and ice. Bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds made the situation worse.

As a result, schools, offices, and stores closed. Emergency services encouraged people to stay home.

Any time of year, we can become snowed under with responsibilities.

We have more to do than we can possibly do. We feel like we are under a mountain of chores. Demands come from:

  • Home
  • Work
  • Church
  • Community
  • Friends
  • School
  • Our own expectations

Fun activities are no longer fun. We can’t stop thinking about what we need to do. Our lives feel like we are on a treadmill. We go as fast as we can but seem to get nowhere.

So how do we crawl out from under this snowed under feeling?

  • Set priorities. Decide what’s most important. Do that first.
  • Keep a list of what we need to do. Lists free our brains to focus on one task at a time.
  • Learn to delegate. Ask other people for help.
  • Do what we can. Then let the rest go until later.
  • Delete. If activities take too much time and are unimportant, get rid of them.
  • Take a break. A brief rest can increase our energy and improve our outlook.
  • Be thankful we are not bored.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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