But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
There are some days that patience eludes me. Last week I had a few of those days when it seemed like everything was falling apart. There were no major catastrophes, but the little annoyances of the day started mounting one on top of the other and I felt like I was drowning.
brothers...usually buddies...suddenly lots of problems with each other and every activity they began...ended in tears
little bitty...toddling about...climbing on the table...sneaking in the laundry room...finding the cat food...brothers screaming..."Mom, she's bothering what we are working on"...not once but several times
trying to sketch together...the pressure of monitoring everyone...so that no little one draws on anothers paper
LouLou...suddenly terribly hurt and unable to walk...at the least request of mine...this is beginning to be an everyday occurrence...I must deal with this very soon.
brother...closing van door on little bitty's ankle..."Mom, I didn't know her foot was in the way, I thought the seat was caught in the door"...baby crying...ankle blackening
Little bitty...eating crayons for the 1000th time
nap time woes...for the third day in a row.
As I thought about the days that had begun to try me as a mother, I began to think about my perspective. These days come and suddenly I am letting my frustrations show through to four little disciples and the man that I love. I wince as I reflect on my response to these situations. Spirit living calls for more than I sometimes give. My response is a choice...I must choose to give Christ control in all situations and refuse to let my situations control me.
Why?
Because I am mothering four little ones. How can I teach them gentleness when I am frustrated and angry with my responses? How can I teach them forgiveness if I remind them of all the things that has gone wrong today? How can I teach them to consider one another when I am only considering myself?
Because at the end of the day when the little ones are asleep and all is quiet...the floors are scattered with toys...the sink is full of dishes...and I am tired...tears well up as I think of the day when I will long for one more moment of this sweet craziness. I really don't want to ruin the time I have with them with frustrated responses and careless words. I want to embrace each day and live...cherishing our moments...the easy ones...and the hard ones
3 comments:
Brings tears to my eyes. I lead very similar days with three little ones underfoot and so badly want to cherish every moment, even the frustrating ones. This mothering, discipling, teaching roll is such a humbling one and a huge part of my sanctification process. Thanks for reminding me I'm not the only one feeling the these same things and dealing with the same stuff.
This is my first visit to your blog. What a lovely place.
Great Post and well said. I have two children ages 3 and 6, I too feel like one day I will look back and long for days like now....
But now, sometimes it's so darn hard to look past now.
Thanks for keeping it real!
This has rung too true of my day! Thank you for the helpful reminder of the Godly virtue of patience - more fruits for us Mums please Lord - more of you living water! Whew - here's to tomorrow!
Post a Comment