Or was it a difficult awesome day?
I can't decide which way to say it because it was very much both difficult and awesome, sometimes even at the same time.
At first Seth said he couldn't do it, and he didn't know it. But then, almost surprising himself, he started saying the verse. And he got it all, every single word in order. I could not believe it! Even I can't say it in order; I know all nine, but I get the order mixed-up toward the end.
Not to be outdone, Hannah started reciting it. And she got it too!
Both kids totally memorized the Scripture just by looking at it when they walk by. Kind-of makes a case for surrounding yourself with Scripture, doesn't it?
Difficulty #1: Clean your room. Oh, the dreaded words! Seth just had one whiny round of "I don't want to" before he got started. Hannah immediately lay down on the floor and began to cry tears of protest. I do not have much sympathy for this kind of theatrics. I told her that she could clean her room, or she could have the consequences of not cleaning her room. It was her choice.
I walked away hoping she would make a good choice.
Difficulty #2: Forty-five minutes later, I couldn't see much progress in either room. Seth looked up with big blue eyes and said, "I have been plerking, Mama." Plerking. It is a term that he coined himself about a year ago. Plerking: a combination of playing and working. I do appreciate his honesty. I let him know that I would set a timer to help him stay on track. That has usually worked in the past for him.
Meanwhile, Hannah has been having a mini-meltdown about every three to five minutes. She wanted me to help her, and I don't feel like she had put enough personal effort in to merit getting some help yet.
Difficulty #3: (There is more awesomeness coming, I promise.) I had some bacon frying in the skillet, getting ready to throw it in the crockpot for dinner. Hannah came in next to me, and the grease popped on her. Much crying ensued.
Difficulty #4: The timer went off. Neither room is cleaned. (Shocker, I know.) Seth actually had been working on his room, but focusing on a minute detail instead of the big picture. When I started to say something about not finishing the job, he started yelling at me. "I have been working. The whole time. You don't appreciate me." You have no idea how this cut into me. I identified far too well with the feeling behind those words.
Difficulty #5: Delivering the consequences. The consequence this time was that the work still had to be done. That meant we didn't have time to do anything fun today. I was as bummed about this as anyone. After a five-day road trip, I would have liked to play games or something with my children instead of spending all my time and energy making sure that they were following through on their responsibilities.
Difficulty #6: I have one child paralyzed by the enormity of the job. She doesn't know where to start. I have another child who feels unappreciated because he doesn't have much to show for his efforts. The very things I have been struggling with myself all summer. Not only am I seeing my own flaws lit up like fireworks, but to see my kids struggling with the very same things broke my heart. Into a million little pieces.
I realized that I have to help them prioritize and break a big job into manageable parts. How do I teach something I don't know how to do? O LORD, please help me. I cannot do this. I don't know what to do. Strengthen me, please.
Difficulty #7: We are finally on track, and then Hannah pinched her hand in the box where she keeps her doll clothes. More crying.
Awesomeness #2: Trying to get Hannah calmed down, I began to pray for her that God would take away the pain. I thanked Him for giving us a purpose to work and to give Him glory. I asked Him to strengthen us through Christ's power. I think claiming the promises of Scripture when we pray is one of the most powerful things we can do. If only I could pray like that all the time...
Awesomeness #3: On a quick errand, we got into a discussion about my grandparents. When Hannah said she wished she could have known Grandma Twitchel, I explained how we will get to see her again when we get to Heaven. They began asking me all these questions about Heaven. Deep, thinking questions that I cannot answer. Some things just have to be accepted on faith. Seth exclaimed, "That means believing without seeing." (Hooray. He knows another verse!). On the way in Hannah commented that she thought everything in Heaven is made of gold. I told her that the streets are anyway. And Seth said, "Yup. And the gates are made of diamonds." He said diamonds instead of pearls, but I love how deep their knowledge runs.
Awesomeness #4: Seth asked me if Jesus was alive when God created the world. So we talked about John 1:1. When I broke it into small parts and talked about it, he really seemed to understand that Jesus was there. He couldn't really explain it later, but that he even got it a little bit was pretty impressive for his age.
Difficulty #8: The rest of the room cleaning didn't go much better than the beginning, except that I sat in there saying, "Now do this. Now do this. Now do this." I nearly had a panic attack when I realized this process had been in play all day, and we still weren't finished cleaning.
Hannah kept crying and telling me she was having a difficult day. I assured her that she was not alone; it was a difficult day for all of us. All in all, it was not an easy day.
But I think awesomeness wins out today. Despite difficult circumstances and attitudes, my children know Scripture. They are asking good questions, questions that I can't always answer. Really deep thinking questions. I feel like I lived Deuteronomy 6 out today. We talked about God in the hallway, in the car, when hands got pinched, and when we were cleaning rooms.
God never promised that belief in Him would make for easy days. Quite the opposite. But my children are learning to ask questions about their faith, to pray when things are tough, to hide His word in their hearts, and to keep turning back to Him no matter what. That is awesomeness that will last a lifetime-- far outlasting the trouble of one rough day.
Awesomeness wins!
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