Dirty Work

I am a mom of boys. Energy packed, laughter filled, dirt lovin' little boys. And as you can only imagine our home is packed full of toys. Trains, trucks and tractors are the daily essentials around here. They love it all. From the log trucks that pass by regularly to the tractors they play with on the floor to the books of adventures about Thomas the Tank Engine. Imagination runs wild around this place.

Last night was like any other. Bellies full, baths given and bedtime stories - in that order. After a day of fits, fights and fever, we decided a slightly earlier bedtime was in order. As we laid the younger two in their beds, my husband, older son and I settled on to the bright blue carpet, we prayed for sweet dreams and a morning of fever free babies. Having forgot to pick a bedtime story, I sent my oldest back to grab a book. He came back with a favorite Thomas the Tank Engine story, Percy's Chocolate Crunch.




photo credit

As I read this story for the 101st time, a statement caught me off guard. In reply to his driver Percy huffs, "I want to be useful where I can't get dirty!" My first thought was huh. As a matter of fact, I think that actually rolled right off my tongue. I finished the story, tucked my little angels snugly under the covers and let that statement simmer in my thoughts all night.

The church. There, I said it. That is where my thoughts led me. We want to be useful. To be the hands and feet of Christ. To reach a lost and dying world. To hear "well done good and faithful servant". Useful. But are we willing to get dirty in the process?

Dirty.

We have convenient terms we like to use. Terms that make humanity less hurtful and more easily to dismiss. If we really want to get dirty, be useful, we must call it like it is. The needy are really living in poverty. Unable to find work due to inexperience. Disabled, more than likely to no fault of their own. Addicted and can't find a way out or have no desire to get out. Slaves to a master who sells their body to make money and doesn't care what diseases, emotional or physical abuse they suffer. To get dirty means to see people past their choices and circumstances and to care for them because they are. To realize that sin has them bound, and once had us bound as well.

We have to get passed our country club, "members only" churches. We should be seeking our Savior and not the recognition of our friends and community. Reaching out to the people, like He did. Unapologetic for the Truth yet loving the people. Offering Hope to all we meet.

I don't know about you, but I don't want a church full of cookie cutter Christians. The only way to take The Gospel is by getting dirty in the process.

What's at Your Door?

I knew Sunday night that Monday was going to be one of those days. It's never good when you're preparing for bed and that sick feeling sweeps over you. Well, that was me at 10 PM last night. I can handle almost anything, but I just don't like being sick. I was finally able to crawl into bed and get, what I was hoping to be, a good nights sleep.

Monday was just a few short hours away and so many things were set to happen beginning early in the morning. I don't know about anyone else, but having three young children wears me out. I am beyond blessed to be able to stay home and raise our family. However, some days are, well, just better than others. Around 1 AM I feel my husband get out of bed and I realize our 2 year old, Sam, is wailing. Please understand, Sam is not your typical rock-me-back-to-sleep baby. He is a fighter. If he wakes up crying, it is a good indicator that sleep is not likely to happen again for 2 or 3 hours, if at all. My darling husband gets up and brings Sam into our room. For the next 2 hours, I'm pretty sure none of us slept.

My alarm went off at 5:45 AM. Why in the world, you ask. Because Monday is our school start date. School as in home school. It is also the beginning of the Hello Mornings Challenge. So, I set my alarm in order to get up and spend a few quiet moments in God's Word before my wild-eyed, wide-open boys rise and shine. And not to mention, it is also the start date for the fall session of Bible in 90 Days. Sounds like a lot of complaining, I know. Please, stay with me.

My boys were all awake and into everything by 7 AM. Sam was up first, shocker. (Do you sense the sarcasm?) Things were going pretty good until I put breakfast on the table. The fight began. Over the course of the next 12 hours, I had to fight with a 4 year old who is too much like his mother, our oven nearly caught fire and then tripped the breaker which took us all of 6 hours to find the breaker box (long story, don't ask) and my wonderful helpmate had taken the day to help me with things around the house so I could get our oldest acclimated to school.

When our boys laid down for the rest time, finally, I was able to catch 5 of 16 chapters in my reading for today. As the day wore on, the boys did not nap well and were up within an hour of laying down, fought most of the afternoon and generally grated on my nerves. My husband had to make multiple trips to town trying to get the stove to work. Needless to say, not much housework was done today. I had sat down in front of our entertainment center to put a movie on for the boys when I was reminded of something I had read earlier in the fleeting moments of quiet.

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

~Genesis 4:7 NLT

And it didn't stop there. As our little family of 5 sat and read the story A Roar of a Snore, I asked my oldest the question, "What problem did they have?" To which he replied, "They ate the apple. You know, they did not listen to God." Not the answer I was looking for but definitely the one I needed. What a reminder that had I ignored my alarm, put off my time in the Word, disregarded time spent in prayer, been angry at my 4 year old for his attitude, thrown a fit over the stove and the house or any combination of these mentioned above, I would've opened the door and invited sin to come on in. Today was not the best day by a long shot, but what I found in His Word has been a reminder that joy comes in the relationship and not the circumstance.