What Precious Gold a Wife Can Gain When She Lays Her Silver Down

Ah, time. As women, there is a myriad of things we do each day to keep our homes running smoothly and our families fed, clean, and content.

It takes a huge amount of time.

But this care of husbands and children is what gives us the most joy and purpose in life.

But what woman doesn’t crave those quiet, all-to-herself, uninterrupted moments?

Those chocolate-melting-in-your-mouth-with-your-eyes-closed moments.

Those moments between “Mom, I can’t find my hairbrush!” “Mom, I’m hungry,” “Mom, can you fix this?” and “Honey, can you look up tomorrow’s weather for me and find that receipt?”

On a still Saturday afternoon, my legs curled up under me on the couch and a long-neglected book in my hand, I found one such moment.

The dishes were done, dinner was thawing on the kitchen counter, my kids were happily munching grapes from our lone vine in the garden, while my husband listened to the radio on the back porch.

Ahh, bliss. If only we could bottle our peaceful moments and open them whenever we wish. {sigh}

Eating, sleeping, school, work, house cleaning, never-ending meal planning, and the dreaded laundry pile.

Despite all these necessary tasks, we hope to squeeze in sanity-makers throughout our day, creative outlets like reading, writing, painting, gardening—hobbies that provide us a way to relax and unwind.

Yet, because our spare time is so fleeting, it becomes a treasure we hoard, all those silver moments, and we are reluctant to share.

This fear prevents us from appreciating all of our blessings and holds us back from experiencing joy even in the midst of the chaos.

When Gold Beckons Silver to Dance

It was when I was three sentences into the first paragraph of my book that I heard it: the infectious, upbeat rhythm of a popular 60s tune blaring from the back porch.

I almost ignored the intrusion, but I sensed a gentle nudge to relinquish the grip I had on my treasured moment for something better.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38)

With only a second or two of hesitation, I laid aside my book and leapt off the couch, skipping my way out the door.

My husband turned to see me sashaying towards him, snapping my fingers, and immediately he joined me; a huge smile spread on his face.

We were two big kids having fun in the middle of the day as our two younger kids watched with glee.

My husband grabbed my hand and twirled me around, held me close, then dipped me low. We were holding hands, laughing, singing at the top of our lungs, shaking our hips—the whole shebang!

I could hear a lot of giggling from the grapevine. “Look at Dad move!” they said while I shimmied and my husband stomped.

As the song played out and I was out of breath, I thought about how infrequently I do this—drop everything and have spontaneous fun.

I could have stayed put on the couch, had my ten minutes of solitude I craved, and none would be the wiser. I could have guarded my time and basked in my chocolate moment.

But instead, I delighted my husband and added positive memories to the storehouse of my children’s minds.

I released an ordinary moment to capture an extraordinary one.

There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. (Proverbs 11:24)

Our desire for time alone; the search for relaxing silver moments amid our harried life is good, necessary, and important.

But resentment builds toward our daily chores and the demands of our loved ones when we don’t find any. And when we do find rare time for ourselves, we’re reluctant to give it up for fear it will never return.

That is why we need to ask God to prepare our hearts to see the greater opportunity in front of us, to be willing to sacrifice our silver, so we don’t miss out on His gold. 

Ordinary Silver and Extraordinary Gold

Every day there are things we have to do and things we want to do, and there are interruptions that go with each.

Let us be on the lookout to view these inevitable interruptions as treasured moments waiting to bless us.

• You start dinner prep early—Silver.
• You let your kids snuggle on your lap a little longer instead (even if they are almost as big as you are) while they ask you what is fire made of (uhh . . .), if they can have raisins instead of broccoli tonight, and what it took for them to beat the mega boss on level 8—Gold.
• You tidy up the living room after kissing your kids goodnight—Silver.
• You spend that time at their bedside answering questions of what it was like in the old days (like the 90s) before they were born—Gold.
• You write a few more words late at night for that upcoming blog post or book project—Silver.
• You set it aside because your husband wants to “talk” (words only you can hear), a husband/wife conversation that bonds you together as one and brings glory to God—Gold.

I relish my quiet time.

But when I’m willing to lay aside my plans and expectations, I gain more than I lose.

I don’t remember what book I was reading that day. But my husband remembers his barefoot best friend be-bopping with him on the back porch.

He remembers the light in my eyes, the laughter of our kids, and my willingness to search for the gold dust in an ordinary day.

Keep your ears tuned to the songs of opportunity, dear wife. You never know when they will lead you to an impromptu dance floor of wonder and delight.

We can be anxious or at peace in the same circumstances. It all depends on our perspective, doesn’t it?

When was the last time you traded you traded your silver for gold?

Abiding in the Vine,

~ Gleniece

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A similar version to the above post was originally titled “Trading Silver Moments for God’s Sacred Gold“ on May 22, 2017, when I was a guest writer on my friend, Sarah E. Koontz’ site, www.livingbydesign.org

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