Yes, I admit it, my house is messy a large majority of the time. My children enjoy expanding their world (the contents of their rooms) to the entire house. Their vivid imaginations bring dinosaur wars, bug safaris, and guess the animal games to my living room. Often enough the remnants of these adventures tend to remain scattered across the floor. I feel like I am continually picking up after them or bargaining with them...I mean using parenting strategies, to get them to clean up after themselves...
Today, I took a step back and imagined what it would be like without the messes. I found myself contempating the past when my house was tidier, before our children blessed our home. The days when I had more time to myself, more sleep, and less noise in my home. As the breath caught in my throat, I realized that I would feel so empty without them. In fact, my life has become so much more enriched by my children. Their imaginations and the innocent way they look at the world humbles me and gives me pause to slow down and not worry about the little things. They motivate me to pray like I've never prayed before and to give glory to Christ.
Ok, the battle to keep my house clean continues, but at least I can appreciate it more this day...
