Cleaning The House With Kids Is Like Brushing Your Teeth While Eating Oreos!!

I was never the tidiest child growing up. In fact, I can remember many arguments, over the mess of my room. My mum used to get frustrated with me. My way up tidying, was to shove all the clothes lying around into my washing bin, even if they weren’t dirty! Her biggest

complaint was, that it was always after she had just put the washing machine on. Now I completely understand the pain she felt 🙈! My dad on the other hand, threatened to throw everything out my bedroom window that was lying around, then he said I would have to go outside and pick it up from there! He never, ever did. I think they gave up in the end.

Calum on the other hand was super tidy. His parents don’t know why he is the way he is, but he likes everything to be tidy and in its place. Hoovering is definitely a favourite of his 😂! Over the years he has rubbed off on me, and I do now like things to be tidy. I’m still not anywhere like him. It takes something a lot longer to annoy me, than him. He would also never say I was tidy, even now, but I think I am pretty close to it 😊! (I still struggle to keep my bedroom tidy!😂)

I never really look forward to the kids going back to school. I do enjoy having them home, but one thing I do like, is being able to tidy up and it STAYS tidy! When they are at home, one area gets tidied while another area gets messed up and vice versa. Once they are back at school though, I do enjoy getting everywhere clean and tidy and then sitting down with a coffee and enjoying it looking tidy! Josiah has ALWAYS had a love of drawing, scribbling, designing things on plain paper with sellotape. I kid you not, pieces of paper and sellotape follow him everywhere. I am constantly tidying them up after him. (if I do it then I can just bin 99% of the pictures, if I ask him then he will want to keep them all 😬) The other night I discovered a piece of kitchen roll, sellotaped to my dining table and various pieces of scrap paper lying around with juice splashed over them in some sort of design. One of his birthdays, while he was at nursery, he even asked for sellotape and a sellotape dispenser "thingy". He literally loves it. At least when he is at school my table stays tidy for a bit, because when he is home it never is.

When I was thinking of this blog I was reminded of a clip from a kids film we used to have, The Incredibles. I remember Mr Incredibles frustration at having to constantly tidy up the mess people got into and exclaimed I’ve just tidied up this mess, can’t it stay tidy?

As I thought on this clip, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how often I sound like this. As paper is pulled out and pens and pencils are left in a trail behind Josiah I’m left frustrated at the mess. Or it could be shoes, clothes, lego, nerf bullets, chargers, empty toilet rolls, the list is endless!! “I've spent all day clearing up so please don’t mess it back up”!

As I thought of this, I was humbled as I felt God remind me that he continually cleans up the mess of me and the mess I make at times. Regardless of how many times I make mistakes, get it wrong or get in over my head he never fails to pick me up, forgive me and set me on the right path again. I’ve never once felt his frustration as I’ve made the same mistake over and over again. God is ALWAYS patient and longsuffering with me. I love these words:

"But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. "

Psalm 86:15

I then thought of my attitude to those around me. Am I just as patient and longsuffering with them? In the church setting, we come across so many individuals whose lives are just very messy. Do I give them the time they deserve to hear their problems and difficulties? Am I patient and loving or am I impatient and frustrated at them? “Why don’t they just follow the advice that has been given to them”, can be my inner thoughts. I’m sure God is thinking I should really take my own advice at times, how many times have I not listened to him and gone ahead doing things my way and land in a mess. Maybe I can be selfish and grudge having to help them again. It’s my time and that is valuable to me. Yet I forget the many times God has been there to help me. I'm reminded in 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient and kind".

Sometimes it can be friends and family that are going round and round in the same circle, over and over again. My nature is to be a 'fixer'. Whether it's just trying to show someone the positive side or 'silver lining', I'm not good at standing back and doing nothing. I am willing to jump in, roll my sleeves up and get dirty trying to help someone. But what about when it happens again and again and again. I'm not so longsuffering then. I can quickly get discouraged, pray about them and just leave them with God. I know praying for them can be the best thing I can do for them. But maybe God isn't ready for me to give up helping them. Maybe he's teaching me patience, endurance and testing my faith. Am I willing to go the long haul with someone the way God never gives up on me or am I too quick to abandon them and move on?

I have these three cushions on my bed that my mother in law, Mary, gave me years ago as a gift. One says 'faith' one 'hope' and the other 'love'. In the mornings when I make the bed I occasionally can't find one of the cushions. I look to see what's missing, is it faith, hope or love? I have a conversation in my head as to which I could live without (I know I'm weird!). I know I can't live without love, the bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever - faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these is love. So I know I can't live without love. Everything we are and do comes from love. But then I think of faith and hope. I can't really live without any of them either! I need faith in my life so that I am patient when trying to help and support those in need. If I didn't believe that God was the answer to all their problems then what would be the point in offering Him to them a solution? My faith is based in knowing absolutely that God, in His mercy and grace, can save anyone from any situation. Without faith then the bible would be meaningless. Then I am left with hope. I can't live without hope. I think of Psalm 39:7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you? He is my only hope, how can I live without that? When I think of all the mess and mistakes I make. The mess that anyone, whether innocent or not, can find themselves in. As we seek to help and support and guide them, if it's once, twice or several times, we believe that HE is their only hope.

This song has been a favourite of mine this year. A song of waiting for God, for my hope is in Him.