31 Days of Yes: Laundry? Bring it on.
Saying yes to your day. . .easier said than, um, said? We all have days when we wake up and think, "Ok life, I'm ready. Let's do this thing." And we all (I'm guessing) have days when we wake up and keep our eyes tightly shut, pretending the day hasn't really started. No thank you, I'll pass on this day. Get out of my bed for needy children, and messes and laundry and stubborn hearts? Like I said, no thank you.
And yet our joy in life (or lack thereof) is directly related to our personal outlook.
Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience writes beautifully about this all the time: the profound affect that simply deciding to be thankful in everything will have on a life. In the same way, saying "yes" to your day is a way of accepting what is before you and deciding to do your best rather than feel sorry for yourself - or worse yet, complain to everyone else.
This is the post I had in mind to write today, but I did not live it very well. I woke to the baby crying at 4am. (All three children are "loose in the stomach" now.) I did manage to go back to sleep, but then woke to her crying again a while later. I lay there with my eyes closed wishing for more sleep (like all moms everywhere), and I had a very clear thought: You can say yes to this day, or you can say no, but it's happening either way. I have been thinking this a lot lately, mostly because that baby has been waking me up every morning at unapproved times. It's a faith issue for me. If I truly believe that God is good, and I truly believe that everything that touches my life has passed through His hand, how can I say anything but yes to the day in front of me?
This is not a one time yes, of course, and that's where I fell today. I can get up and say, ok, baby crying, I will take care of her and give it my all, but then when the others are up right behind her and everyone is clamoring for food and lost toys and my undivided attention, I fray. It's not a surprise that children require care and attention, but sometimes I act offended when mothering is hard. It is hard! But I have exactly what I want in my life. And if this life is what I want, then I must rise with gratefulness and acceptance on my lips.
Take a breath, deal with each child in turn, handing out smiles and hugs along the way? It is hard, but it's a habit to build. I'm working on it.
Day Four
And yet our joy in life (or lack thereof) is directly related to our personal outlook.
Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience writes beautifully about this all the time: the profound affect that simply deciding to be thankful in everything will have on a life. In the same way, saying "yes" to your day is a way of accepting what is before you and deciding to do your best rather than feel sorry for yourself - or worse yet, complain to everyone else.
This is the post I had in mind to write today, but I did not live it very well. I woke to the baby crying at 4am. (All three children are "loose in the stomach" now.) I did manage to go back to sleep, but then woke to her crying again a while later. I lay there with my eyes closed wishing for more sleep (like all moms everywhere), and I had a very clear thought: You can say yes to this day, or you can say no, but it's happening either way. I have been thinking this a lot lately, mostly because that baby has been waking me up every morning at unapproved times. It's a faith issue for me. If I truly believe that God is good, and I truly believe that everything that touches my life has passed through His hand, how can I say anything but yes to the day in front of me?
This is not a one time yes, of course, and that's where I fell today. I can get up and say, ok, baby crying, I will take care of her and give it my all, but then when the others are up right behind her and everyone is clamoring for food and lost toys and my undivided attention, I fray. It's not a surprise that children require care and attention, but sometimes I act offended when mothering is hard. It is hard! But I have exactly what I want in my life. And if this life is what I want, then I must rise with gratefulness and acceptance on my lips.
Take a breath, deal with each child in turn, handing out smiles and hugs along the way? It is hard, but it's a habit to build. I'm working on it.
Day Four
This is the fourth post in the series 31 Days of Yes. Click here to see a list of all the posts.
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