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Tonight after all of the children were in bed, I walked around the living room and dining room looking at all of the stuff they left scattered around. Now, the thing is, they know they are supposed to do a little tidy at the end of the day. It's just one of the things they do to help me out around the house. They just seem to not remember to do it unless I remind them. That's where it gets a little tricky. See, I'm a nut about keeping clutter to a minimum (if not altogether eliminated) around the house. I just can't seem to think when there's a bunch of stuff all over the place. And if I can't think and am distracted by all the things that are just left all over the place, then I can get a little testy. This really means that I am likely to fuss, rant, and rave at the culprits.
As I looked around at the flip flops, spiral bound notebooks, backpacks, pens, pencils, art supplies, drawings, colorings, school work in various stages of completion, and other various kid clutter, it occured to me that one day there won't be any clutter to fuss about (unless it's my husband's!). Will I yearn for the clutter? Not likely. But what I will yearn for, what I will miss, is those who were at one time guilty of cluttering up my house, the precious fruit of my womb.
I realized right then that often it is the "little irritations" that make us the most crazy, that annoy us the most, and that cause us to gripe and complain the most. Those little things that are annoying to us and caused by our precious ones often blind us to how precious they truly are to us. I am having to learn to overlook their little annoying habits and try to enjoy not just being with them every day, but enjoy the wonderful people they are becoming.
Psalm 103 verses 15 & 16 says As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
I don't have to tell you what I'm learning because I'm sure you've discovered it as well: life is short and it seems that the time between birthdays grows shorter and shorter each year. Life's too short to be so worried about the little things so much of the time.
As much as I believe that God likes things done in an orderly fashion, and that includes keeping a home neat, I also believe that when it comes to our children, there are other things that are more important. In fact, I think it is safe to say that we should look at the overall picture:
The list could go on and on, but you get the idea.
By the end of this school year, I will have a child who has graduated high school. After that point, she will be preparing for college. A few short years after that, my boys will be ready to move to higher education as well. After that point, I'll have just two more left at home. Before I know it, all of my precious ones will be (hopefully!) obediently following the path God has set before them.
When they are gone from our (often cluttered!) nest, I want them to be able to look back fondly and lovingly on their growing up years. I hope that they remember their mother's love, hugs, kisses, and the way she used to laugh with them more than they remember all of the griping she did about the clutter around the house.
For me, when I am tempted to complain about all of the out-of-place things I find all over the house, I hope I will stop to remember that there will come a day when I'll wish for those long-past days. Again, not for the clutter itself, but for those who made the messes! I hope that I can remember to take a moment to admire the coloring page or art project in progress. One day there won't be any coloring pages plastered to the (messy!) refrigerator door. I want to be in the state of mind to be able to remember that, not so long ago, my sons' size 10 shoes (10 in mens!) used to be a size 1 infant shoe.
But most of all, I hope that I can stop to praise God for the wonderful young men and women they are becoming and thank Him for allow me to be their mother. What an honour to be given the great responsibility of molding, shaping, and guiding five lives to the glory of God!
Love in Christ,
Julia |
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