A Lesson From Smudges

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Sunny days can be stressful for housewives !

When bright sunlight streams in through our windows facing the sea, I notice dust, fingerprints and smudges that are not obvious when it is cloudy.

The other day I was particularly annoyed by the smudges on my stainless steel fridge. Recently I’d been reading about the new Samsung ‘Smart Fridges’ which did not show fingerprints, and which even have screens that could look up recipes, and more !

Surely I deserved such a fridge, I enviously thought.

Just then I was prompted to go look out of the front window at the root cellar in the field across the laneway.

Electricity did not come to Newfoundland Outports until the 1970s.

Before then, carrots, potatoes, and other root vegetables that had been grown by housewives during the summer were kept, during the winter months in root cellars. They were partly underground, and cold enough to preserve the vegetables during the cold months. Families in our historic neighbourhood greatly relied on these root cellars to sustain them during the cold months. These were their ‘fridges’.

Seeing the root cellar reminded me that I had been guilty of the sin of covetousness, in thinking about how I deserved a ‘Smart Fridge’.

This is a sin which displeases God, since it tells him that we believe that what he has given us is not good enough.

I apologized to the Lord for being envious, and cleaned the fingerprints from my fridge, while thanking God for his many daily blessings.

Photo of an outport root cellar by Jules Torti.

Published by Sally

I am a retired Sociologist/Educator from Ontario. I now live at the very edge of the North American Continent. I spend my time in contemplation, spiritual reading , intercessory prayer, and maintaining a spiritual garden grotto as a place of prayer in my backyard by the Atlantic.

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24 thoughts on “A Lesson From Smudges”

  1. Don’t be too hard on yourself Sally, you are not alone in sliding into coveting stuff. I must own up I coveted a DGT chess board for ages, and eventually bought one. It is there as a constant reminder of my moment of weakness. These are lessons that we can learn from and walk closer to our Lord each day.

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  2. Hi Sally,
    I really enjoyed your post and it really is funny how advancement in technology is seen as a positive thing, I have to admit though that the smarter the equipment the more troublesome things can be. 😊🙏
    We live in an age when everything is expected to be easier than it was before, however we have to remember that science is not a replacement for hard work. 😊

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    1. Hi ! Yes , most of my friends my age grew up in houses without indoor plumbing or electricity. The outports were, and still are, rugged places.
      I was reminded of this again yesterday when we saw a large longliner heading out to sea, in the dark. 🤗🌷

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  5. It can be eye opening to realize we are blessed by so much, yet sometimes we still want more! I’m trying to simplify as much as possible, realizing I can live without having access to TV shows, a blessing in disguise! I have so much more time do be doing what’s more important!

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    1. Hi Debra ! I agree with you. I find television a huge distraction, as you say, staying away from it is ‘ a blessing in disguise.’
      I connect to the world mainly through my little iPad.
      Thanks for your comment.🤗

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  6. ♡ “DisPleases” Goddess too; it’s Crystal Clear Clarity My Fridge Loves Me

    …♡♡♡…

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  8. Hi Sally,
    We can all be like that sometimes. We truly have to be intentional with being content with what we have and choosing to not want more of something just because it appeals, like the latest phone etc. I like your reminder to be thankful for the many blessings God has given us and not zero in on what we do not have.

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  11. Ah, most definitely relate! I hate the sight of fingerprints and dust on a sunny day! It feels like I can never get it all! And my house, the dear old creaky thing, really shows its age in lots of ways. It’s over a hundred years old and a constant work-in-progress. My husband actually works on others’ houses for his business. So…I can get envious at times when I see the completeness of his customers’ homes while ours waits due to lack of time, finances, and my physical disabilities. My coveting consists of things like walls freshly painted, floors refinished, and bathrooms remodeled. But, I find I must remind myself of all I do have, all God has given me, especially the grace He grants my own work-in-progress self! Thanks for sharing this. It’s a good and needed reminder to me!

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    1. Hi ! Thanks for commenting. Our house is also a Century home, and it took a long time to restore. The electrician worked on the wiring, off and on, for two years. When we examined the attic, we found there were actual tree branches helping to hold up the roof. Thanks for sharing that we are all works-in-progress too, as Christ is slowly conforming us to images of himself. 🤗🌷

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  13. Wow. How God teaches us through our everyday living.
    Smiles. Learning to appreciate the things we have now will help us to appreciate the “more” we look forward to. 💯
    Thank you so much for sharing this, ma’am. 🤗

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