Thursday, January 19, 2012

Unwind

This morning, I loaded my two kids (still feels weird to say that, not going to lie) into the car and made my way to MOPS. One child has been throwing massive temper tantrums and the other has a cold (bet you can guess which is which!) and I needed this time. Like seriously needed.

Generally, we have some sort of speaker or do a craft or something. Nothing knock-your-socks off crazy, but something nice. And loud... but loud with chatter and not with whining. There's a big difference.

Today, they said that we were going to split up from our normal tables and go around to different tables and answer discussion questions. I admit I groaned on the inside. What is this, middle school? Discussion questions??

However, the people that plan these things know a bit more than I do and it turned into such a sweet time of fellowship and meeting new people. I got exactly what I needed from this morning: a reminder that no one is perfect.

I have this image of a picture-perfect housewife in my mind. House is always clean, floors mopped, toilets scrubbed. Wife is always showered and presentable. Laundry is always folded and put away. Home-cooked meals every night. Leisurely evening spending quality time with the husband. Although I know, in my heart of hearts, that this person does.not.exist, it's the image I compare myself to day in and day out. I never make the cut.

My MOPS group is fairly large and a lot of the girls know each other from attending church together, so it's taken me a while to get to know people. In my mind, some of these women that I saw come inside with their well-behaved children and manicured nails were the perfect housewife. Today, I got to talk to those women. And learn that they also have husbands that work all the time. Have houses filled with laughter, but also with screaming and whining. Have kitchen cabinets that have been re-organized by toddlers. Have unhealthy meals for dinner while screaming at everyone to "sit down and eat already!" They all have bad days. None of them is perfect, either. 


The best part? We don't have to be. Sometimes I wish this meant that I could just forget all those things and never clean the house and rarely shower, but that's not the answer either. The answer is so much more. It's savoring the sweet moments with your toddler before she starts screaming at you. It's having intentional conversations with your husband when he is at home (sidenote: Chuck has been home by 6 every night that I have been by myself with both girls except for one. This is ah-maze-ing and I currently have no right to complain that he works all the time). It's watching your newborn sleep and knowing that she looks peaceful and content because all is right in her world at that moment. It's living your life moment by moment... taking the good with the bad and going to bed every night knowing that tomorrow is a new day.

"Let the peace of God, which transcends all understand, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7


Could we hope for anything more?