Ever had one of those days? Yesterday I was definitely off my game. I needed to go to the grocery store (we were out of eggs, milk, bread, and down to a pear and a mango in the fruit dept) - well, usually I keep our daughter in the cart and let our son walk next to me. He just wouldn't listen, though, and I was harping on him throughout the entire store. He kept running off, grabbing things off the shelf, attempting acrobatic feats on the displays... Just generally being one of those bratty kids that I can't stand (and of course mutter disapprovingly about when I see others misbehaving in this fashion). Normally, I would have just scooped him up and left, but we really did need this stuff (particularly as we were having someone over for dinner). When we finally were done, I got the kids in their car seats, I started the car up, and I just sat there. Really needed to calm down before driving home. We get home, and my head is now pounding and my stomach is upset. I get the frozen/refrigerated food stashed, then pull out some chicken nuggets to heat for lunch.
I go about the afternoon. The kids had been playing quietly, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to write a note to a friend. I had made the card over the weekend, so just needed a couple minutes to jot a few sentences. But Mommy starting a new activity was evidently quite exciting.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Can I help?"
"Can I have this?"
"I'm hungry."
"Why are you writing a letter?"
"Can I make a letter, too?"
"Whatcha doing?"
"I'm still hungry!!"
I finally just lost it, and was yelling like a maniac.
"Leave me alone! I just need to finish this!"
and in my head, finished the line: "... so I can encourage this mom."
Definitely a wake-up call. Something about a plank in my own eye... Time to take some deep breaths, pull out my Bible, and remember what this job is all about.
And just so show God's graciousness - and sense of humor - when I got the mail around 4:00 I had received a lovely card from another friend. It was much appreciated!!
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3 comments:
This was a bad mommy 'moment'??? For me, it would be a bad mommy day, week, month....it feels like it's an everyday occurrence in my house. But it does show me (everyday) how much I need the Lord and how I can't live without Him!
I wish I could say it was an isolated occurrence... it was more like the eruption that had been slowly building. And I've just been erupting far too frequently lately!!
I can relate to that...Thanks for being so transparent...The director of the Women's Ministry at church called me at the beginning of the summer because she thinks that I have the heart and gift for women and leading a women's Bible study in the near future. Part of our "curriculum" is going through "Becoming a Titus 2 Woman" by Martha Peace and applying that to our life. Just as you were convicted when you finished off the line "so I can encourage this mom..." I am always so convicted of my sins/selfishness when I explode in that way to DearDaughter1. I can just imagine another younger mom asking me, "So how do you discipline your children in godliness?"..."Ummmmmmmm...." What's neat though is how God is faithful and doesn't waste anything, even the sins we've committed against Him and others. If anything, He uses those situations as a "wake-up call" to bring us back to Him...and what a blessing that is to share that with other moms...how you failed, but your Lord lifted you! And in your case, through a card in the mail from another sister in Christ! What a wonderful God we serve who knows what we need at just the right time!
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