One of Those Days...

 Today has been one of those days for me.  You know the ones.  Where nothing seems to work in your favor, nothing of any real importance is accomplished, and every square inch of your house is covered with dirt, dust, or a spiderman toy.  (That's not just my house, right?)

I woke up this morning with such high hopes!  I was in a rather chipper mood and, after having my much-needed cup of coffee, I was determined to get some big items checked-off of my to-do-list.  (Are you a to-do-list person?  I so am.  There's just something gratifying about crossing off things I've needed to get done.  It's the little things in my life, ok?)  The biggest things on my list had to do with Seth's upcoming first birthday party. Part of my plan was to set up our dining room.  Here's how it looked at the beginning of the day:

So, I set out with these things to do and that may have been mistake #1.

Who knew that 2 out of my 3 boys would wake up with pink eye?  Or that the 3rd one, the only one without pink eye, would throw up in the very back of my car in the middle of traffic?  Who knew that after a seemingly innocent trip to Hobby Lobby I would wind up back in my car (the throw up car) crying a flood of tears because they refused to accept my return? These are the things nobody tells you to expect at the beginning of a day.  Although, as a mom with 3 kids five and under, shouldn't I expect these things to happen every day and be excited when I have a "normal" day?  Maybe my perspective needs to change.

Needless to say, my to-do-list is staring at me right now.  Untouched. Not a line crossed off. This is what my dining room currently looks like.  I'm sure you'll notice the huge change:

Thankfully, I don't have too many of these days.  But it's on days like these that I do wonder how people manage without a relationship with Christ.  I know that even on the terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-days, these little hiccups (and they are indeed very, very little) draw me to a closer walk with my Savior.  He teaches me so many lessons on days like this!  If I pray for patience, as I so often do, will God simply grant me patience?  He could, but I don't think that's how he chooses to work.  Instead, when I pray for patience, he gives me an opportunity to be patient.  Or when I pray for joy, he gives me an opportunity to be joyful.  And it almost always happens in moments where I'd rather be anything but joyful.  Like when my kid pukes in the car.

Jesus teaches me in these moments.  And he gives me hope for a new tomorrow! (Hopefully one that includes a clean(er) house, no pink eye, and a little less throw up).

"I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6  

My heart is so completely content in knowing that HE is my rock, my fortress.  And that while days like today shake me up, they don't shake him up at all.

Guess what else I didn't know would happen today?  Who knew that my sweet, wonderful 5 year old son would see my stress-level rising and take it upon himself to cheer me up with this:

4 "flowers" from my boy.  We'll wait till he's a little older to tell him that those are, in fact, weeds.  But, those weeds, they made my day.

Noah...I love him.  Puke and all. :)