Sunday mornings are kind of tough around here. It’s hectic. This past weekend was no different. There were the clothes to iron and the 5 kids to feed and get dressed. Squabbles to break up and constant reminding that it’s time to brush their teeth. Looking for shoes for daughter #3 for the umpteeth time.
There was lunch to prepare for and the “Autism Alert” that I’m on every time I step away from pre-teen daughter #1 to finish another task. Will she take off her freshly ironed clothes and put her pajamas back on and refuse to get dressed again? Will she squirt all the toothpaste out when I’m not looking. If I go brush my teeth will she eat 6 popsicles in 2 minutes and be wired during the service? Will she start WW III in the church parking lot over whether or not she’ll wear a bra?
Hubby is the pastor, so he’s long gone and I’m feeling really outnumbered right about now. And then this Sunday was the kick off of our new Children’s Church and yours truly was teaching. Do I have all the supplies? Do I have all the other responsibilities lined up so I can leave the service? Oh no, was I suppose to have nursery duty? Why can’t I get this DVD to play?
In the middle of all this chaos, I get a text from a college friend telling me that a classmate of ours was killed the night before in a motorcycle accident. Take a deep breath. A life has just ended and a soul has taken its place in eternity. A family was left behind. Children are now fatherless. Look around at your chaos and be thankful you’re here.
So, really….when we’re faced with what’s important….life and death, eternity, the fleeting vapor of our short years, what really matters? So what if my daughter is barefoot when she gets to church? What if our clothes are wrinkled and there’s toothpaste on them. Who really cares about the popsicle stains? A sandwich for lunch will be just fine.
As a believer in Christ I think I need to do everything I can to the best of my ability for His glory. But when my striving for perfection gets in the way of recognizing the important things in life and causes stress for me or the ones I love, then it’s time to stop and reevaluate.
Life is short. It only takes a moment to change everything. So take a moment right now and look around at what you have. Kiss your kids. Call your spouse and say “I love you”. Sit down with the people you love and just love on them a little. Slow down. Stop sweating the small stuff. Focus on what’s important.
So there are dishes in the sink and the laundry pile is reaching the ceiling. Does it really matter in the light of eternity? It will be there later. But right now, stop and be grateful for the good gifts around you. The breath you have. The hope you have.
My hope is on Heaven. A day coming when there will be no more chaos, no more pain, no more fear and no more death. No Autism. No one left behind. No separation. No messed up priorities. Nothing to steal our attention or our joy.
Stop. Focus. Be grateful.
Let the verses below remind you of our great hope and rejoice in it as it guides your actions and thoughts.
Blessings!
Connie
Revelation 21
New International Version (NIV)
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
Grace in the Real World - by Connie Post 
connie i know how you feel even we as older people have the same problems but it is with ourselves . trying to get ourselves up and ready for church , slowly but surely eventually getting where God wants us to be. I am not sure i could handle what you have to go thru but as you are trying to get all these things done , God is blessing you even when you cant see it at the time it is happening. We all get frustrated at times but so thankful that God does help us out. So sorry about your friend. Iwill pray for his family as well as you. It is so sad when someone is taken in what seems like before their time . But Gods time is not our time as i know only too well. when a child is taken before the parent it does not seem right but we are looking at it in a different way than God. He gives and He takes away and that is the way life is and if we are christian’s we understand it. It is a hard thing to agree with God but if it is His will then we will accept it; I know the kids had fun in children’s church ,. hope it continues to grow and with the prayer going up for it to be a success I know it will grow. I look forward to the scripture you had on this being fulfilled. What a wonderful day that will be. your friend in Christ
I love that passage. so much hope in it!! THanks for sharing
God is so good!
Amen!