Let me explain.
Virgil is my only boy, and I am continually grateful for him and all his boy-ness. But he has been testing me... exasperating me since he was 4 months old. I have never been so challenged as a mother as I have been with #4.
Jump to lately...
I've been trying really hard to get up each morning before the kids to have a little quiet time with the Lord in his word. This is a real struggle for me because I am anything but a morning person. It takes every ounce of determination that I have to get up even 30 minutes before my kids. Well, Virgil is the first to wake up... and over the past month he has been waking up in the middle of my quiet time. But it has been okay because I just let him play in his room... then open the door and let him out when I'm done.
Another issue we are currently dealing with is V sneaking into the bathroom and playing in the toilet. Whenever he manages to succeed... when his sisters accidentally leave the door open.... he often plays with the toilet cleaning brush, splashing clean or often dirty water all over the bathroom. The other favorite of his is to literally try and climb into the toilet. (take a deep breath, Amy...).
Enter added complication #1.
Poo.
A couple weeks ago I opened his bedroom door after my devo time to find a boy covered in poo and a mural of poo on the back of his door.
I did not handle this well.
In response I started cutting my quiet time short and running to his room at the first sound of him being up... but that made me mad! I need that quiet time! So... I got smart and decided I was going to buy him a whole stack of footie p.j.s and safety pin them shut so that he couldn't take his diaper off.
Enter added complication #2.
Ability to open doors.
Well, yesterday... after falsely accusing my oldest daughter of leaving the bathroom door open... we discovered that V can now open doors. My life is over.
So last night Virgil got his last clean pair of footie p.j.s soaked to the knees with toilet water after opening the bathroom door and trying to climb into the toilet... for the third time that day.
I'll be honest. It was bedtime... I was very tired. And I yelled alot. I may have thrown a few things. Then I stormed into the garage and dug girl footies out of the clothes tubbies. Hot pink ones. (Jeremy asked if I was trying to shame him into obedience... ) There was no way on this earth that I was going to follow that evening with a morning of poo on the walls because I didn't have clean footies to put him in. So pink it is.
So this morning my son, blasts into our room before we even had a chance to get out of bed. No morning quiet time...
I strung together some metal measuring cups (couldn't find a bell) and tied them to the bathroom door. 20 minutes into the morning V was already pushing my buttons... and now at 9:20, I already feel exhausted from dealing with him.
Okay Amy, take a deep breath and remember. This is your portion. Today is not random... it is not an unlucky compilation of events. God is in control and will work good out of EVERYTHING... if I submit to him and allow him to be glorified through the events of my messy life.
My brain... soggy with hormones... wants to really freak out right now. How in the world am I going to handle Virgil and a newborn??? If he can open doors, how will I keep him from climbing into her crib and tossing her out!? I feel like I'm losing those last little ounces of control over things...
So I will choose to remember....
"Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Grace to you as you allow God to be glorified through your portion today!
Blessings,
