Okay, let's face it right now I am feeling totally overwhelmed and hopeless! Everywhere I look, I see toys on the floor, dirty dishes that somehow did not make it to the sink (once again), messy rooms and piles of laundry. One child has just spilled milk all over the floor and another child decided to help by throwing one of my good blankets on the milk to soak it up. As you can see from the above picture, my children are also allergic to staying clean.
It is times like these that I just want to scream "God, I don't want a family anymore.... take them away please. Whisk me off to a deserted island so I can rest!" But God calls us to be loving to others, so what is a mother and wife to do?
No... the answer is not curl up in a little ball and cry (believe me I have tried it and the mess DID not magically go away). When things get hairy, scary just sit down, relax, read the Word and PRAY! That's right PRAY! Now I don't mean prayers like:
"God, please send a flash flood through my house, so it will be clean."
"God, please give my kids the unbelievable desire to clean, clean, clean" - I have prayed this one too many times, and it still has never happened.
All God is asking us to do is to release our Anger (and who wouldn't be angry if they had just cleaned up the living room, just to turn around 2 minutes later to find a 4 year old "tornado" has just demolished the place in 0.05 seconds), relax our minds and our hearts and let Him speak into us the Words that we need to hear. Even with children scurrying every-which way, it is still possible to talk to God when we need to and to listen for His voice. He knows where we are in our lives and he UNDERSTANDS! He understands that sometimes it is impossible to sit and read the Bible for more than 1 minute or to not lose our temper when one of the children pours an entire box of cereal on a newly mopped floor. But He is there to guide us through the rough moments and help us to see the joy in all situations.
God calls us to love our families, no matter what they do or what they say! This is called "Unconditional Love". We are not called to love our children only if they have cleaned their rooms and eaten all of their broccoli. We are not called to love our husband only if he unplugs the toilet and manages to save the "Lil Pet Shop" animal that has been flushed down it.
We are called to love each other, no matter what. That is where taking a few moments to sit down, read the Word and pray come in. When we become stressed by all of the never-ending work to be done, we need to STOP, SIT and PRAY! There is no excuse acceptable here... don't say "But I am too busy to stop"... believe me, the mess will still be there when you are done but you will be refreshed and able to take on the task with joy.
Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."
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