Mothering Little Sinners

I do not think I'm alone in saying that sometimes motherhood just aint no fun. Oh it's rewarding, it's a joy, but as much as I love being a mother, sometimes I plain don't like it.

One thing that really makes me crazy is when I serve rice with our supper and catch Jacob flicking rice grains across the table. The utter disregard for the person who has to clean the table and floors makes my blood pressure rise. Granted, consideration has to be taught, I don't think it comes naturally to most people, but still.

Or when rather than being asked nicely to do something, I'm ordered. I'll be the first to admit I do not take orders well. If you want to place an order, go out to eat. If you want something from me, ask nicely. Please and thank you should all be included.

"I want" is improper grammar. Do not start a sentence in this house with "I want". "May I please"...is a much better start.  Unless, of course, you are saying "I want to clean the house for you" or "I want to send you on a shopping spree" or "I want to give you all the chocolate out of my halloween pumpkin." Thats a different matter entirely.

Getting all the cushions off the couch to slide and jump on sure is fun, but don't go acting all weak and tired out when I ask you to put them back. Seriously.

Meal-time battles, bathtime splashing that ends up soaking the entire bathroom, getting out of bed after being put in, whining, fussing, sibling fighting, messes, turning up your nose at my food, disobedience, pressure, squirting an entire tube of neosporin on a "boo boo" that is too small to see, taking the belt off my bathrobe and losing it, running away instead of coming when called...it's hard, hard frustrating work.

Pick up, wipe, wash, give, serve...usually spirals downward til it ends in scold, yell, rage, scream - utter frustration. Day after day, it's hard to be mom to little sinners. Even worse is when you lose your cool. As bad as that might be for your kids, it's even worse for you because then you get to add guilt to your pile of emotional baggage we lug around everywhere. Motherhood is a heavy burden because we understand how important our job is. How our failures can have lasting impact. How the very fact of our humanity makes it impossible for us to achieve the lofty dreams and goals we have for our family because we stumble and fall daily and rise only in Christ alone.

And friends, this isn't just my life. This is normal in most of the homes I know. We get so frustrated with being frustrated! We despise our failures, carry the weight of the world in our hearts. We want to be supermom and feel like a super failure instead.

Then as I was preparing lunch today, the song "Before the Throne of God Above" came on and these words really grabbed my attention:

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within

When Satan tempts me to despair! Satan! Of course he wants you to think you are a failure, because you aren't! You are molding and shaping little hearts and minds to one day become men and women of God. You are his biggest threat, a loving mother working hard, putting herself last, pouring into your children so that they will one day become enemies of Satan too. Of course you fail, your flesh is weak. But grasp onto the Savior! He will make you strong.

The rest of the verse says,

Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Don't look inward at your failures, look upward. Be encouraged!  When Satan tempts you to despair, remember it's not about you, it's about His work on the cross. Praise the One, the Risen Son of God!  

Here is the whole song...check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrYVTpsAGYk