Blessing among the messing...

Five kids make lots of messes. Five kids at home every day~playing and eating and crafting and (hopefully) learning~they make lots of messes. I was sitting there at the kitchen table one morning recently, just reflecting on my life. And I just thought, "wow." Here's a little glimpse.

So our school day usually starts around 9:30. By about 10:00 today, this is what was going on. One boy was cutting things out and was supposed to then glue them on a paper to make patterns. Another boy was writing something and about to draw a picture. Another was supposed to be doing a math activity. The youngest was having a snack. And the baby slept in the swing. Flash forward 5 minutes. Baby wakes up crying, not done napping. Paci game starts. Two year old wants to sit on my lap as I work with 4 year old on the cutting thing. His snack falls on the floor. He cries, but gets down to try to pick it up and pick off enough dog hair to be able to eat it anyway. He whines because he wants me to help him. Oldest is not doing math, but instead playing with his pencil and singing loudly about koalas. Other boy complains because I still haven't checked his writing. Baby doesn't stop spitting her paci out, so I decide to hold her. Turn around and 4 year old is now opening the stapler and trying to figure out how it works. Staples all over floor, along with paper scraps from cutting. I remind all to stay on task (probably in a voice that was too loud). My head starts spinning as everyone is asking for help in some way. There's paper and pencils and books and crayons and scissors and glue everywhere. I remember I need a snack, and more coffee...and a load of laundry needs to go in. Oh, and the dishes from breakfast still sit on the counter, oatmeal pasted to the bowls by now. So I sit down, breathe in the sweet baby head smell, and look out the window at the bright blue sky, thanking God amidst the loudness and mess. I look around. Wow. What a mess.

This is my life. It's hard, it's messy, it's loud, it's overwhelming. But isn't that what He came for? God came down to this earth to show me that He loves me that much. To take every burden, every mess. To mend broken things. To be here with me in the mess. To show me how to depend on Him, how to breathe in the blessings no matter how life swirls crazy around me.

Thank you, Savior...thank you, Jesus.