It’s likely the last six months of my life have been harder
than anything I’ve encountered in the last 18 years. I wasn’t sure I would
emotionally survive to ever make sense of it. And only now am I beginning to
see the beauty in suffering.
Life is a Ski Hill
This winter was my 14th time to suit up and brave
the chair lift moving at approximately 88mph. On the eve of our adventure I
never sleep well. It’s not from the
anticipated excitement, but because I am terribly nervous and tense. I get nauseous,
restless and sometimes I give myself an upset stomach just thinking about
it. I’ve been to ski school at least
twice and I could probably write a lengthy article about the techniques of
proper ski control. None of that
translates into practical application for me. My leg, knees and ankles are
uncooperative with the truth in my brain. My body is weak because it hasn’t
been trained for this activity.
Parenting is Killing Me
I’ve said this countless times in the last 20 years. Some days
I’m dying a slow death from frustration, embarrassment or all the other you-name-its
that come with child rearing. It manifests either as a muttering under my
breath because of irritation or discouragement, or an outburst when I simply
can’t take the ridiculous chaos of life any longer and I forget to use my “inside
voice”. Nagging about unmade beds,
settling petty arguments among siblings, or the impossible task of reasoning
with an immature teenager. It requires infinite effort on my part and it is draining
the very life from my veins. Parenting
is killing me.
Keeping Up With Unrealistic
Lysa TerKeurst hurt my feelings. Oh yes she did. And the
Invisible Me actually slapped her. She didn't do it in a
fifth-grade-mean-girl-way. But she stepped on every last nerve I had and now my
heart is soft and I've cried most of the day. Thankyouverymuch, Lysa. I wasn't
even wearing waterproof mascara. Way to go.
On a recent family vacation I took along her book, The Best Yes, to read in
the car. (I'd highly recommend it for any woman who is breathing.) It was a
message I knew I needed to hear. Skipping
across her words about the dangers of saying yes to everything that comes my
way, I received her gentle warnings and instruction with ease. Then she
did something that made me consider throwing that adorable book cover out the
window to its destructive death along Interstate-70.
Teach Them to Work
My teenagers do tough jobs around the house like cutting down dead trees, landscaping and moving heavy boxes to and from the attic. My elementary school kids make their own bed and vacuum their room. In teams of two, they rotate taking out the trash and unloading the dishwasher. They clean their bathroom, help with windows, and dust ceiling fans. Everyone in this house folds and puts away their laundry. Why? Because I am the mother. I am not the maid.
Kid Three Wants to Be Baptized
One of the greatest joys in this life is to see my children desire to follow Christ. At nearly 8 years old, Kid Three has been asking to make this decision for quite a while. We've held him off regarding baptism because we wanted to be sure he didn't just want to get into the 'big pool' and show off his mad water skills.
He persisted in his desire, stating over and over, "But my heart belongs to God and that is the next step."
I find myself wondering, is he old enough?
He persisted in his desire, stating over and over, "But my heart belongs to God and that is the next step."
I find myself wondering, is he old enough?
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