It’s universal. (At least, that’s what I tell myself.) The disastrous Sunday morning, that is. I have heard it said many times growing up in the church – “Satan will try anything to keep you from getting to church!” I’m not sure if it’s Satan himself but I have to say, there is definitely something to this Sunday morning thing. It happened to us just last week.
It all began when I woke up just a few minutes late. I had completely prepared myself the night before, as I typically do, to avoid any Sunday morning strife. Outfits laid out: Check. Baby bag packed: Check. Purse ready: Check. Breakfast was even halfway prepared and on the kitchen counter.
Unfortunately, none of that mattered as the ugliness and chaos slowly began to seep its way through the hallways of our house. “Give me that!” “MOM! There is a hole in my tights!” “I’m not eating this!” These were just a few of the things coming out of the mouths of these little creatures who were just the night before so perfect and precious as I snuggled up to them. And not to put all of the blame on my children, as I certainly played a part in the yelling harsh tones.
We made it to the parking lot and I walked into the building with two out of my four in tears, bags falling off of my shoulder, windblown hair and the fleeting thought that I never ate anything. I plopped down in the pew only to catch the eye of my loving husband, who mind you, managed to escape the Sunday drama since he, as a Minister, was at church much earlier than we were. (As ministry wives, not only are we often on our own on Sundays, but you can be sure that people are always watching!)
Cue: Music. “Water you turned into wine…opened the eyes of the blind…” We stand, begin to sing, and in an instant appear to have it all together. It’s truly an amazing phenomenon!
As I stood there pondering the stressful events of the previous 2 hours, and wondering what I could do different next week to avoid the mess, a peace came over me. I have spent too many days playing the comparison game. “I wonder if her kids ever act this way.” “I am sure she has never raised her voice once.” “If they only knew what my house was like this morning!” And on and on it goes.
Thankfully, I have now experienced enough authentic “mom” friendships to know that this is a pointless exercise. So instead of feeling defeated, I made a conscience choice to shrug my shoulders and with a silent laugh, turn my heart toward worship. Proverbs 14:4 says, “Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.” I guess that means that as long as my little oxen are around, my Sunday mornings may not be sparkly clean and orderly. And that’s ok.
So, I set my mind toward the countless times wise women a stage ahead of me have uttered the words: “It goes so fast, enjoy every moment!” And you can be sure we snuggled a little longer that night.
Published January 1, 2012
