Distractions

It has been a rough morning at my house. The reality that we are moving, and need to be out of here as soon as possible is sinking in, and that has caused me to go on  a major decluttering spree. I got a late start this morning, but I was determined to get my maternity clothes boxed up and go through my kids clothing. That doesn't sound too difficult, right?

Five hours after I started the project, I've barely made a dent. Here I sit blogging, surrounded by piles of clothing. I need to clear my head before I dive back in. It's amazing how many clothes six people can have.

As I was saying, this morning has been rough. I'd start working on the clothes and then someone would need a drink, or someone would would need cleaned up, and then it was time for the baby to nurse, and then Lily and Max both started crying at the same time, and neither of them were calming down. And while I was trying to nurse Max and hold an inconsolable Lily, Anna and Jack decided it would be fun to dump all the clothes that had been put in totes and throw them around the living room. I was ready to scream(actually I think I did scream.) I was beyond frustrated by this point and was ready for the kids to take naps an hour earlier than usual.

But they needed lunch, and while I was making peanut butter sandwiches I started praying. Basically I was asking the Lord to give me self control and patience. And I felt convicted about how I was placing my goal of organized clothes above the needs of my children. I thought of all sorts of arguments and excuses . I thought about how we were getting ready to move, and things had to get done. The conviction remained. It was as if the Lord was saying, "Stop treating these children as distractions."

And that was exactly what I'd been doing. On the outside it may have appeared that I was putting my children ahead of my project, but my heart said otherwise.  I was frustrated that I had to stop what I was doing to attend to my children. I wanted to complete my project by nap time so I could have a break. One of these days maybe I'll realize these crazy days won't last forever, and I'll remember to enjoy this season in my life.

Now I must be off so I can tackle these clothes before my children wake up!