Distractions

Today was an interesting day at my house. I decided to have a teacher work day. I sent all of my kids outside to play so that I could focus on decluttering my office and hopefully a few other areas of the house. I could also call this a mental health day for mom! The clutter in my office has been weighing heavy on my mind for weeks now.

The morning seemed to go well and then I even convinced my 9 year old girls to make everyone lunch. I stopped to eat with them and then sent them all back outside. I did have a fleeting thought that I should be putting my 2 1/2 year old, Tiffany, down for a nap. However, she was having so much fun playing fort outside with her siblings that I let the thought slide, focusing again on my now half clean office.

About 30 minutes later my oldest daughter brought Tiffany into the house screaming and crying. She was seemingly inconsolable with no apparent cause for the upset. So I knew this was a case for mom alone. I sent my oldest daughter back outside and took Tiffany upstairs for a drink of water. That wasn't going to solve this problem. I then laid her in bed and tried to sing to her, still crying. It was at this point that I realized the only solution was to take her into the living room and rock her. I was not happy about this as I was busy and didn't want to stop and rock my child!

I sat rocking her for about 20 minutes. During this time the house was dead quiet and I sat gazing out the picture window at the fantastic trees which are an amazing array of shades of green. I started to realize how small I really am in this world and how only the great I AM could ever use me to make a difference in the world. I began to meditate on Him and realized how thankful I was for the unexpected break in my hectic day.

This is the verse that the Lord brought to my mind: Mark 10:13 And they brought children to Him, so that He should touch them. And His disciples rebuked those bringing them.
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw, He was much displeased and said to them, Allow the little children to come to Me and do not hinder them. For of such is the kingdom of God.

I had always known that Jesus allowed the children to come to him and be a distraction in His day but I never really thought about why. As I sat rocking and meditating on my Lord I had the thought that maybe, just maybe, that children coming to us isn't a distraction but a time for a much needed break from our daily work. Taking the time to rock your child, or read a book to them, or even counsel them isn't really a distraction. I believe it's God's way of letting us have a break.

The next time you are busy in your day and your child comes to you in need, take the time to help them and remember that maybe this is your opportunity for a much needed break.