So that others may live

Brian and I were watching this show the other night before bed called "Surviving the cut" and it was showing the grueling physical tests that soldiers go through to "try-out" to be Para-Jumpers.  They are the guys that jump from airplanes to go into combat zones and save wounded and bring home the bodies of the dead.  They go into situations in real danger and endure carrying wounded and dead men out of combat to waiting airplanes.  Its mentally and physically taxing.  Watching the show made me wonder how anyone could ever endure the training let alone the actual job.  Then they stated their motto "So that others may live".  And I was floored with appreciation. 

But my mind couldn't leave it there, because I have started a new book called "Becoming a Contagious Church." And it talks about how knowing your Church's mission statement is vital to being effective.  Not only knowing it but making decisions based on it so that you stay focused so that you don't let the good become the enemy of the best (my favorite quote from my favorite youth pastor). So I have been muling that over in my brain.  My church's motto is "Helping people find and follow Jesus Christ".  And being that children's ministry is my main focus I realized I need to remind myself when I am freaking out about a craft or game not working that my main goal is to "Help Children find and follow Jesus Christ".  And what about my moms group work, it needs to be centered around "Helping moms and their children find and follow Jesus Christ."  Easy-peasy right?  K.I.S.S.  Keep it simple sweety.

Well, Children's Ministry and the Moms group are my current jobs within the body of believers I call family, but God has also entrusted me with 2 wonderful little daughters of His in my own personal family. And this is where that show gave me inspiration.  You see this summer, I am sure like every summer is wonderful and slower paced, and also full of fighting children, mean spirited sisters, and
"mom mom mommy mom mom mom mommy mom mom mom" "What are doing?"
"Going to the bathroom."
"Can you get me some food?"
"Not from the bathroom."
"Oh when you're done?"
"Yes"
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
 "Are you done yet?"

So long story short some days have been, well, tiring and trying.  But after reading that book (well just beginning it actually) and watching that amazing show, this is my new motto for motherhood.

SO THAT OTHERS MAY GROW

Cause Lord knows I hate waking up at night for any reason, and my kids are good at finding reasons to wake me up. And I hate cleaning up poop from the little potty Chloe insists on using even though she can use the regular potty JUST FINE. And I hate dishes.  And bickering children make me want to pull my hair out.  BUT

I am not doing all of those things because I enjoy doing them.  I am doing them because my job as their mother is to help them grow.  God blessed me with babies and asks me to help mold them into the women God made them to be.  And some days are bliss, most days are wonderful and some days make me want to lay on the kitchen floor and have a tantrum RIGHT THERE WITH THEM. 

But my job is to keep persevering and doing the hard tasks that I know will pay off.  Like trying to train them in conflict resolution other than "MOM!!!!!!!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID??"  Because someday they will face the challenge of difficult people and I won't be there to walk them through it.  And I teach them to be nice to their sister and respect her above any friends because someday their bond will be one of the most meaningful things in their adult life, and it will outlast any and all friendships.  And I have to train them in doing the right thing, not because of fear of being caught, but because it is the right thing.  Because I will not always be there with them to make the right decisions for them.  I need to let them face the consequences of missing out on Girl Scouts, and play dates and being late to school, when thier actions call for it, because I cannot shield them from everything in life, and they need to learn the sting of the consequences of poor decisions now.  Someday they will make decisions with consequences I can't fix for them.  And though I hate to see them hurt and angry when I make them face the consequences of their own decisions, and I hate to send them to their room and listen to them cry until they work it out together,

 I NEED TO DO IT,

So that others might grow.

And I know that a sister, me when at home

I bet you thought I lost it for a minute, huh?

Well I didn't.

In case I haven't yet mentioned my darling little 3 year old is not only a daredevil, but also loves to sing.  And by loves to sing I mean belts out any and every song she knows at volume 10.  Cause duh, that's how you're supposed to sing.  She even closes her eyed dramatically every once in a while, and then does the eyed closed, slight bow of the head after each one to tell you she'd done.  Well done long enough for applause anyway.

So I love to listen to her sing all day, especially when she gets the words wrong.  It reminds me of my mom.  And then I laugh even more.

She has been all about singing "King Jesus is all" lately.  If you don't know it, go Here

So she gets most of the lyrics right, except when it comes to "And I know that He'll answer, me when I call"

She sings, you guessed it "And I know that a sister, me when at home."

Oh Lord, how I heart that little girl.

Regression

Remember this post? I do, I was dancing all over the house as we gave up diapers.  It was followed by weeks of bliss as Chloe woke to dry panties and peed a gallon in the potty every morning.  Then she had a few accidents, which were no biggie, after all she's 3 and they happen.  So we started cutting off liquids by 5, since she goes to bed at 6:30, and figured that would solve the problem, and it did, for a while.  But then for the last 3 weeks she's had more accident filled nights then dry nights. And honestly I am sick and tired of waking up at 2 am to "Mommy I peed on my bed."  Which means I have to get up and strip her down, wipe her off and either change her sheets or let her sleep on her little futon couch on my floor.  The first few times I changed the sheets, but the last two weeks I was exhausted and tired of broken sleep every night so I left the sheets for the morning and set up her futon on my floor every night.

And yesterday I decided, forget it, she's going back to diapers.  It's summer, I can't limit her intake of liquids anymore without being bad for her, and she obviously sleeps too soundly to wake up with the urge to pee. And I am tired of washing her sheets/blankets/pillow/blankie/ and teddy bear everyday.  So last night we broke down and bought a pack of diapers.  And I felt RELIEF.  I let out a sigh as I laid down to sleep, certain this would end the problem.

Then at 5 am, I here the waddle waddle swish of a diaper clad butt running into my room "Mommy I have pee on my bed".  WHAT??? I say "But you're wearing a diaper!"  And yes, she was wearing a diaper, that was filled to the brim with pee and had overflowed onto her bed.

Life is funny.  It's practically comical.  I gotta laugh, cause otherwise carrying another load of stinky pee sheets down the stairs.....

It's been a while...

So I feel like I haven't blogged in quite sometime, because I have gone through 1000's of years of history in the books I have been DEVOURING, so forgive me if I have seemed distant.  Because well I have been in ancient Israel, Moab, Rome, Ephesus, Jerusalem, Capua, Germania, and well all that traveling reading has left me with little time to type out my thoughts and feelings and stuff.

So here are the 4 books that I have devoured in less than a month:

This one is the fictionalized story of the 5 women in Jesus lineage.  Starting with Tarmar, then Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.  Powerful, humanizing, and totally relatable.

This is the first in a 3 book series, starting with a girl taken as a slave by the Romans at the fall of Jerusalem, it follows her, the Roman family who buys her, and a captured warrior turned Gladiator.  Who would have thought so many ancient Roman practices mirror modern day America? Oh yeah I think Solomon wrote about that is Ecclesiastes "Nothing new under the sun".

The continuation following the family who bought the slave girl, a bit about the gladiator, just as riveting and forcing me to stay up til 3am reading kind of book.

The last of the series, I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend after I devoured this one in 2 days.  SO good.  So much better than I had thought it would be, and so sad there are only 3 books in the series.

So now, I need to find another good book, or take a break from reading for a few days...who knows. And who would have thought after being GIVEN a car by a fantastic family at my church I would be sitting at home reading as much as I have...but man oh man when a good page turner gets a hold of, there is no putting it down.

And while in the midst of my book fever, I got my kids in the car and drove to a far off library, cause my library didn't carry the book, and I obviously could not wait to grip my teeth into book two of the series.  And on the way home I had a lovely reminder of my smarty-pants-daughters' critical thinking skills.  She was reading "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly" to Chloe and I on the long trek home and as she finished I remarked "I don't even know how someone could swallow a horse!" Thinking she'd laugh, or wonder out loud, instead she replied "It's fiction mom".

I love that girl.