Before I get chastised for sending them out alone; :) I sat on the deck and tried to eat and watched them play. Finally I realized my anxiety was no longer going to let me eat, so I called down to the kids I would be right out, and got ready… including lots of bug spray and down the stairs I tromped. I was not going with a good attitude.
When I got down there, I realized the bugs were too bad for me to just sit and watch them play, so I decided I might as well make use of my time. I headed for our front flower bed, and walked around looking at all the weeds. Finally, I decided I might as well start pulling them. As soon as I started doing something, the kids came to see.
Peter (age 4) decided he was going to help me. He at least knew what was grass and what was a good plant, and when he wasn’t sure, he asked me. My daughter decided pulling plants was too hard, so she started picking up weeds and throwing them into a wagon. Peter decided that looked like way too much fun, so he helped. When the wagon was full, they dragged it to the back yard and dumped it in the “burn pile” in the back yard. We really don’t have a burn pile, they just dumped it in the long grass at the back of our property.
When I finally got done pulling weeds, the flower bed looked much better, and my attitude was better as well. It was fun watching the kids trundle back and forth helping by moving all the pulled weeds. I ended up taking out our good digital camera and was able to get some really good close up pictures of some of the individual blossoms and flowers.
This morning I was thinking about that. Pulling weeds. I was wondering how many weeds God sees in my life that He wants to pull.
Weeds of impatience, short temper, frustration, anger.
That day the kids and I were fussing at each other… the whole day. And my attitude wasn’t helping one thing. We were annoying each other as much as the mosquitoes were annoying us as we were working.
So, how do I let God into my garden to pull the weeds? I have tried to spend time in the Word each morning, and take the time to pray. However, if this morning was any example of how well I let Him in, I didn’t do a good job. I maybe read one word at a time, yelled at the kids, read a bit more, told them to take a bite, tried to write out a prayer and got one sentence before I had to deal with someone screaming. And by the end of the ordeal I was done in and it was only 10am. Not a good start to the day, or a good way to let God speak to me about anything.
Even as I write this, my husband is watching my daughter, and feeding her cereal out of his bowl. And I am getting frustrated at the milk and cereal being spilled all over the floor and the couch and running down the front of her once clean clothes.
So much for pulling weeds.
God, please show me how to be a better mother and wife. Show me how to focus on You, even when my 2 year old spreads Vaseline all over her room and bed. Show me how to be patient even when my kids fight me every step of the way to the bath tub, or the dinner table. Show me how to let You into my life so that I can get rid of some of these weeds that are keeping the flowers of Your garden from revealing their presence. Please give me peace in this day. Please give me joy in this day. Please give me the ability to enjoy the blessings of the moment, of every moment of this day. Amen.
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