Warning!
All the incidents you are about to read are true and without exaggeration. And should I have the need, I’d do it again!
With 6 children in a house, arguing can happen. Accidents are plentiful and blaming can become commonplace. But on this particular day I was one “b-lame” beyond what I was willing to tolerate (nope, not a momma supportive of toleration!). Accidents are real and need to be cleaned up, but when the “Be Lame” game gets into full swing the accident (which needs no correction) doesn’t get cleaned up. And now I have to correct -Yuck!
…side note: for all those kids out there, no mom likes to correct their kids, we just love you so much that we do it. It’s like cleaning the toilet, we don’t like the stink!
So I decided they needed a clear understanding of what they were doing. And I was beyond talking! In the Goodwill pile was a mug. It was a dinosaur mug that needed to live somewhere else. Perfect!! I placed it on the kitchen table. I went downstairs quietly and brought back the biggest hammer I could find (pretty sure it was a 4 lb sledge – I didn’t want something wimpy!). Holding the hammer behind my back, I called everyone to the kitchen. I asked them about their current heart actions. Hearing only crickets, I pulled out the hammer and smashed that mug with my best Hollywood-style swing! If you were watching in slow motion you would have seen the shards fly in all directions. Glints of green and white scattering to distant corners like sand in a wind storm! Oh, the crickets weren’t even singing now. I wish I could have videoed their expressions. I had their full, undivided attention.
We went on to talk about what needed to happen now. After going a few rounds of “Name That Offender” they finally figured out that the mug had to be cleaned up. (Though they did suggest we glue it back together – but no number of King’s men could put this one back together again!) It didn’t matter who smashed it to smithereens. It was a mess. And a dangerous one. Being Lame – blame – wouldn’t accomplished what truly mattered. Only a broom and dust pan and their happy hands could get this job done.
Isn’t that how it is with our own messes? Sitting around feeling sad about our failings won’t help us. We just need to get in there with God and clean it up. The Holy Spirit knows all the details and we just need to take the time to settle it with Him. We need to clean it up with Him. The great part is the way He cleans it is by putting the pieces back together for us! It’s truly amazing how that happens.
If you are spending your day blaming and dodging the work of clean up, save yourself a mug… just go to the Father for some house cleaning. He is ready! Are you?
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:9 NLT
Crazy Faith Family 