Hi friends, Episode 8 in my book is titled “A Healthy Family Life,” and it’s about the things that contribute to having family dynamics that are pleasing to the Lord. Here is the lyrics to the song for that story that may convey some of the chaos in your family if you are a woman with a husband and children in your home. It’s called ………… “A Mommy’s Prayer.”
I need your patience, Lord!
I tripped on the vacuum cord,
The dog chewed a hole in my shoe.
The kids are not minding,
My husband is whining,
Sometimes I don’t know what to do.
I just did the shopping,
But oh! all that walking,
My feet feel like they could fall off!
That husband you gave me, Lord,
It’s not that he’s lazy,
But why did he have to play golf?
The children are screaming,
The dishes need cleaning,
But I need a moment alone.
It isn’t just vanity,
I’m losing my sanity,
Lord, please come take me home!
Lord, I don’t really need to be by myself,
I need to be alone with you.
I’ll send the kids out to play,
And we will just slip away.
We’ll visit for a moment or two.
I feel so ungrateful,
Sometimes even hateful,
The only one to blame is me!
My days are so busy,
My life’s in a tizzy,
But I think I’m beginning to see.
I need to take time,
To spend with you every day.
You’re not even a phone call away.
All I must do is just call out to you,
Your perfect peace will take over my day.
So, remind me dear Lord,
To begin every day with you,
Before all the chaos begins,
So, I will be patient,
And me and my kids,
And my husband and dog remain friends.
Spending time with the Lord each day can calm our spirit and tame the chaos! The following is a true story from my family’s life that is an excerpt from episode 8.
When the two younger men of my home were still in those glorious years of teenagehood, I sat the entire tribe down for one of those family pow wows to discuss the very serious possibility of war over why there were always dirty socks and countless shoes left in the living room floor, after the feet they belonged to had left the room.
Having made my point clear, I expected I would never have to deal with the situation again. But just like God has to deal with our disobedience over and over and over again, the very next day, upon entering the living room, much to my dismay, there was the incriminating evidence that the crime had again taken place, a size 10 Adida in the middle of the floor.
All the feet in the room were now clad with other shoes. This one lost sole had been left behind. Just like souls lost without Jesus will be left behind when He returns.
Outraged, I grabbed the shoe, shook it in the air, and demanded, “What is this?” Sensing the necessity to give a serious explanation, Rusty, my older son, in a very sober tone of voice said, “It’s a shoe, Mom.”
At once, all three of the men in our family, including my husband, are engaged in uproarious laughter at the foolish woman standing before them who doesn’t know she has a shoe in her hand!
Of course, I knew it was a shoe! What I meant was, why was it in the living room floor after the law had been laid down prohibiting such misconduct? The moral of this story is, be sure you communicate what you really mean!
Well, don’t tell my son’s this, but in spite of the obvious show of disrespect for my authority, this incident remains in my memory as one of the many highlights of our family life. There sure was a lot of fun at my expense! They had me laughing at myself before it was over.
You have to fight the battles that are actually worth fighting and turn others into opportunities for family fun. Laughter is good for your family’s health as well as your own sanity. Proverbs 17:22 says that a cheerful heart is good medicine.
So, what I’ve learned is that we have to train up a child in the way he should go, but we don’t want to break his spirit in the process. Life is a balancing act. Prov. 22:6, and Prov. 15:4, Eph 6:4
How well balanced is your family? From one, clueless without the Lord’s help, parent to all you others, talk to you next week. Nancy