We woke up this morning to several inches of snow. This obviously made the kids very excited as they set out to find multiple layers of clothes. In these moments I'm thankful for the age our kids are now, where they can all get their own clothes and boots on and go out without me. Of course I still have to help the littles get their boots on after their hands are bundled in gloves but for the most part everyone in this house is fairly self-sufficient. It's bittersweet I suppose. With the foursome happily playing outside I decided I would tackle the girls' room. They are usually very organized but somehow after the holidays and starting back to school after the new year they have let their room get a little cluttered. In some way or the other over the past month and a half papers, candy wrappers and broken crayons have made their way into the bottom drawer of Emma's dresser gradually pushing out her clothes till they became a mountain of clutter on the floor beside her bed. I have found that junk has a way of creeping up on you if you don't stay on top of it. So I declared today to be the day to purge all unnecessary effects from their room. It was time for a do over, a second chance for their room to be a haven for girls rather than a disastrous avalanche waiting to happen. Sure I could've made them do it but it seemed to be something bigger than they could handle at this point. It was one of those moments when it was crucial for momma to intervene. This made me think of how similarly we allow the cares of life to clutter our heart until we haven't enough room for the things of God. I was reminded that just as my girls were not left to tend to their monumental mess alone I have a loving heavenly father who notices when I have gotten negligent about the rooms of my heart and nudges me towards cleaning out what doesn't need to be there. Just like the junk in my girls' room didn't happen in one day, the dusty corners of my heart don't get cluttered with the concerns and thoughts of this world overnight. It happens gradually while I'm not tending to my heart, and just like Emma's junk papers slowly pushed her clothes out of their drawer, when I let the cares of this world linger in my heart they eventually crowd my relationship with God. He never leaves but I don't make enough room for him and sooner or later I don't hear his still soft voice as clearly through the clutter. Being the momma, the one who cleans up and takes care of everything, it's taking me some time to learn that when it comes to matters of my heart God never intends for me to handle it myself. I don't have to clean it up or get it right on my own. In fact, He wants me to step aside and let him do all the clean up. He knows it's a job too big for me and He takes joy in getting into the nooks and crannies of my heart making them sparkle like new. Maybe that's the hardest part of it for me, to sit back and let Him do all the work. In the process, He lovingly reminds me (for the thousandth time) that it wouldn't have gotten this way if I had guarded my heart, just like I remind my girls that their room wouldn't have gotten the way it was if they had thrown out the trash immediately rather than letting it pile up. Every now and then we all need a do over, a second chance to get back on track and thankfully we have God who specializes in second chances.
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About MeI'm Becca, a former chocolate junkie, herbal enthusiast, curriculum writer, homeschool mom to four active kids, wife to my jack of all trades hubby, blessed child of God. Archives
November 2018
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The Essential Blog
Essential homeschooling is not about trying to mimic a classroom setting at home, expensive curriculum and stressful learning. It's setting our eyes on Christ and offering up our lives for His service. It's finding simplicity in daily living and loving each other, embracing the challenges and cherishing the moment because we know these years won't last and what we instill in our children today will determine who they will be tomorrow.