One of Those Days
It's been one of those days...
where I only survived due to the Holy Spirit and the fact that I was wearing maternity yoga pants. Because nothing makes a hard day worse like tight pants. Who will join me in a Stretchy Pants Revolution in which we change the world to a better place where everyone loves and wears nothing but stretchy pants?
It's also been a day when I've been writing many blog posts in my head and now can't for the life of me figure out how to tie it all together. So maybe I just won't. Maybe I'll be wild and crazy and just write a bunch of random things and see how it turns out.
So this has been a week when I'm faced with situations and circumstances that seem to contradict God's Word. The really troubling thing about it isn't necessarily the seeming contradiction but the way "church people" just go with the world's view of it and ditch what the Bible says because, well, it's easier and it seems to make more sense. Except for the fact that you claim to be a believer in God and His Word and you're acting like you get to decide which parts of it are true.
Today was a little hands-on experience with the whole thing. This particular day in the life of moi seemed to contradict this little line in God's Word: "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." Hey, just being honest! So I could go with the world, spending the day feeling sorry for myself, envying the garbage truck driver because at least he gets to do his job alone, in silence, without any whining or bickering, and telling myself that I not only need but deserve a break, for heaven's sake!
Or I could go with the Word and remind myself that my children are a blessing and reward. They build my character. They are sweet and obedient sometimes. The Lord has given me the privilege of making little disciples. I have all I need (the Holy Spirit) to be the mom they need. There is nothing I'd rather be doing than raising, shaping, and training them. Okay, there were some things I'd rather have been doing today (or maybe 1,033 things), but in the long run, nothing else.
And, as a bonus, they help me see the good in things. Like nebulizers. Not only do they help wheezy little boys breathe, but they're delightfully noisy and drown out the screams of other children who may or may not be in BIG trouble and you can just pretend for ten minutes that you're at the beach taking a nap (while holding a sick toddler). See? A blessing.
Yeah, so I was talking about things that don't seem to add up with God's Word. And what I was reminded of is that we can't see the whole picture! I see one eensy weensy, itty bitty piece of the puzzle and claim to know exactly what the whole thing looks like. Wouldn't we do better to trust the One who is way bigger than the puzzle and can see the whole thing? Shouldn't we go with His perspective rather than our super extremely limited one? So maybe we should read the Bible and live by what it actually says rather than what we want it to say and see how it all plays out. Just a suggestion.
Wow, things look different from down here...off my soap box. If you can't guess what I've been doing today from what I've already shared, just take a look at the calender. I'll give you a hint...it's the middle of the month...extremely close to a holiday (Easter...remember that one?). Any guesses? Yes! I was taking care of a sick Samster. We have this fun thing we do every month called It's the Middle of the Month and Time for Holiday Fun, So Let's Get Wheezy! You should try it. It's a blast. Really.
No, the poor guy is pitiful. We inhaled albuterol and drank steroids and prayed and I think we may be able to avoid the doctor as well as the ambulance this go round. Yay! Thank you, Lord! Okay, it's not over yet, but I'm trying to be positive. Seriously, though, this little guy is like clockwork! If calendars ever get outlawed or they all get stolen by calender-loving aliens, don't worry. You can tell what time of the month it is as well as keep track of all holidays (even St. Patrick's Day) by Sam's breathing. Don't fret. In the event of a calender shortage, I'll keep you posted.
(By the way, if watches are someday hard to come by, I'll keep you abreast of his pooping habits as well. 'Cause you can plan your day by them. He's nothing if not predictable.)
I think I've fallen off the exercise wagon. I've had a great streak going here but I just don't know if I can keep it alive. After the exhausting day I had, I went with the solid choice of ice cream with a Reese's cup in it over working out.
Can I just ask who in the world thought it was a good idea to create a "snack size Reese's cup" that is packaged exactly the same way yet slightly smaller than an actual Reese's cup? Why on God's green earth would you want one slightly smaller? Okay, bite size I can see, but if you're going for the whole cup, just go for the extra 25 calories and get the real deal. I was tricked, hoodwinked, and bamboozled into buying a 12-pack because it appeared to be a good deal...only they're too small for my scoop of ice cream! It wasn't a good deal. It was robbery!
It's ridiculous to have 7 sizes for one type of candy anyway. Bite size. Snack size. Fun size. Regular size. King size. Super Ginormous size. You Should be Embarrassed You're Buying This size. America has overdone it on the choices. But I've learned my lesson. I will pay very close attention during my next peanut butter cup purchase. They won't pull a fast one on me again!
Okay, with no further ado, I will present to you Easter 2012. These pictures will totally support the fact that children are a blessing since they capture one tiny moment in time and they have no audio. Really, we had a great Easter. The gnats were a little over the top, but that was my only complaint. It was a wonderful day celebrating the most wonderful event of all time (He's Alive!) with my favorite people eating wonderful food.
Here, Sam looks like a man on a mission. I'm telling you, he's got it together. The man loves a schedule and will let no holiday or anything else stand in his way.
Below is the child known most days as My Sweet Luke. He did not go by that title today, but he was wearing it proudly on Easter.
Here is the rare picture of me and Chris with no kids. I post it here to prove to later generations that we do in fact know each other and sometimes spend time in very close proximity to one another.
I absolutely love this pic of Maddie and her great grandfather, Big Daddy. He's my only living grandparent and loves this girl. He bought her a pony, people.
Here, again, is that usually oh-so-lovable Luke.
Below is what I strive for in our house...brotherly love. We obviously acheived at least Brotherly Toleration for a moment on Easter, but the whole love thing is going to take more work. I'm sure they love each other. We're just going to work on showing it in ways other than fighting and yelling.
And here they are in all their Easter-attired glory. The Blessings. And they are.
where I only survived due to the Holy Spirit and the fact that I was wearing maternity yoga pants. Because nothing makes a hard day worse like tight pants. Who will join me in a Stretchy Pants Revolution in which we change the world to a better place where everyone loves and wears nothing but stretchy pants?
It's also been a day when I've been writing many blog posts in my head and now can't for the life of me figure out how to tie it all together. So maybe I just won't. Maybe I'll be wild and crazy and just write a bunch of random things and see how it turns out.
So this has been a week when I'm faced with situations and circumstances that seem to contradict God's Word. The really troubling thing about it isn't necessarily the seeming contradiction but the way "church people" just go with the world's view of it and ditch what the Bible says because, well, it's easier and it seems to make more sense. Except for the fact that you claim to be a believer in God and His Word and you're acting like you get to decide which parts of it are true.
Today was a little hands-on experience with the whole thing. This particular day in the life of moi seemed to contradict this little line in God's Word: "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." Hey, just being honest! So I could go with the world, spending the day feeling sorry for myself, envying the garbage truck driver because at least he gets to do his job alone, in silence, without any whining or bickering, and telling myself that I not only need but deserve a break, for heaven's sake!
Or I could go with the Word and remind myself that my children are a blessing and reward. They build my character. They are sweet and obedient sometimes. The Lord has given me the privilege of making little disciples. I have all I need (the Holy Spirit) to be the mom they need. There is nothing I'd rather be doing than raising, shaping, and training them. Okay, there were some things I'd rather have been doing today (or maybe 1,033 things), but in the long run, nothing else.
And, as a bonus, they help me see the good in things. Like nebulizers. Not only do they help wheezy little boys breathe, but they're delightfully noisy and drown out the screams of other children who may or may not be in BIG trouble and you can just pretend for ten minutes that you're at the beach taking a nap (while holding a sick toddler). See? A blessing.
Yeah, so I was talking about things that don't seem to add up with God's Word. And what I was reminded of is that we can't see the whole picture! I see one eensy weensy, itty bitty piece of the puzzle and claim to know exactly what the whole thing looks like. Wouldn't we do better to trust the One who is way bigger than the puzzle and can see the whole thing? Shouldn't we go with His perspective rather than our super extremely limited one? So maybe we should read the Bible and live by what it actually says rather than what we want it to say and see how it all plays out. Just a suggestion.
Wow, things look different from down here...off my soap box. If you can't guess what I've been doing today from what I've already shared, just take a look at the calender. I'll give you a hint...it's the middle of the month...extremely close to a holiday (Easter...remember that one?). Any guesses? Yes! I was taking care of a sick Samster. We have this fun thing we do every month called It's the Middle of the Month and Time for Holiday Fun, So Let's Get Wheezy! You should try it. It's a blast. Really.
No, the poor guy is pitiful. We inhaled albuterol and drank steroids and prayed and I think we may be able to avoid the doctor as well as the ambulance this go round. Yay! Thank you, Lord! Okay, it's not over yet, but I'm trying to be positive. Seriously, though, this little guy is like clockwork! If calendars ever get outlawed or they all get stolen by calender-loving aliens, don't worry. You can tell what time of the month it is as well as keep track of all holidays (even St. Patrick's Day) by Sam's breathing. Don't fret. In the event of a calender shortage, I'll keep you posted.
(By the way, if watches are someday hard to come by, I'll keep you abreast of his pooping habits as well. 'Cause you can plan your day by them. He's nothing if not predictable.)
I think I've fallen off the exercise wagon. I've had a great streak going here but I just don't know if I can keep it alive. After the exhausting day I had, I went with the solid choice of ice cream with a Reese's cup in it over working out.
Can I just ask who in the world thought it was a good idea to create a "snack size Reese's cup" that is packaged exactly the same way yet slightly smaller than an actual Reese's cup? Why on God's green earth would you want one slightly smaller? Okay, bite size I can see, but if you're going for the whole cup, just go for the extra 25 calories and get the real deal. I was tricked, hoodwinked, and bamboozled into buying a 12-pack because it appeared to be a good deal...only they're too small for my scoop of ice cream! It wasn't a good deal. It was robbery!
It's ridiculous to have 7 sizes for one type of candy anyway. Bite size. Snack size. Fun size. Regular size. King size. Super Ginormous size. You Should be Embarrassed You're Buying This size. America has overdone it on the choices. But I've learned my lesson. I will pay very close attention during my next peanut butter cup purchase. They won't pull a fast one on me again!
Okay, with no further ado, I will present to you Easter 2012. These pictures will totally support the fact that children are a blessing since they capture one tiny moment in time and they have no audio. Really, we had a great Easter. The gnats were a little over the top, but that was my only complaint. It was a wonderful day celebrating the most wonderful event of all time (He's Alive!) with my favorite people eating wonderful food.
Here, Sam looks like a man on a mission. I'm telling you, he's got it together. The man loves a schedule and will let no holiday or anything else stand in his way.
Below is the child known most days as My Sweet Luke. He did not go by that title today, but he was wearing it proudly on Easter.
Here is the rare picture of me and Chris with no kids. I post it here to prove to later generations that we do in fact know each other and sometimes spend time in very close proximity to one another.
I absolutely love this pic of Maddie and her great grandfather, Big Daddy. He's my only living grandparent and loves this girl. He bought her a pony, people.
Here, again, is that usually oh-so-lovable Luke.
Below is what I strive for in our house...brotherly love. We obviously acheived at least Brotherly Toleration for a moment on Easter, but the whole love thing is going to take more work. I'm sure they love each other. We're just going to work on showing it in ways other than fighting and yelling.
And here they are in all their Easter-attired glory. The Blessings. And they are.
Oh me, so much to say about this hilarious post--first, love the pics. Abbie has the dress Maddie has on and Jill and I both want one just like it! Sam is Adorable Amy! And yep, its amazing the days we can have!
ReplyDeleteAmy, you are so much fun! Your children are growing up and are precious! Thank you for sharing the pics. I LOVE the picture of you and Chris. You are beautiful!
ReplyDelete