It's the hubbub of a busy Wednesday night. Soccer practice is over, a quick dinner of spaghetti is bubbling on the stove, my oldest is reading aloud to me for homework as I cook, and my Baby Girl is pulling pots and pans out of the lower kitchen cupboards. My Man is racing home to be at the church to help with Boy Scouts, and I have Activity Day girls coming over. Miracles have to happen before 6:15 p.m. tonight.And that is when my middle child, Little Son, of 6 years old, comes over to ask me a very important question. His voice is worried.
"Mom, what is adultery?"
I pause. Where did this come from? And then I sigh. Little Son is very inquisitive and takes learning seriously. He's an avid reader with a very tender heart.
I have no answer. My mind is blank as I can only think of my time schedule and the spaghetti noodles that are boiling over. So I say, "What's the matter, Little Son? Why do you need to know that?"
Little Son holds up a paper bookmark with the Ten Commandments on it. "I got this from my Primary Teacher. She says Jesus wants us to follow them." The worry now increases in his voice as he says, "I think I can do all of them, but 'cept I don't know what adultery and co-co-coveting are."
And suddenly I feel a change in the room. I can feel the Spirit softening my heart as I kneel down to his level and look into his wondering eyes. I give him a hug. This time I am able to think of a simple answer that satisfies his heart. We talk until the worries are gone.
I don't notice the pasta boiling over. I cannot hear my oldest reading aloud or my baby banging the pots. All I know is that my little boy is doing his best to follow the Savior and he wants help. It's my job to be his helper.
I've learned that teaching moments are NEVER convenient. As a mom, there is always something to keep us busy. But I've also learned that the Spirit can touch us at the craziest of times . . . if we are willing to let it. I am thankful that I decided to pause and dig deeper into his question. I could have easily just brushed him off (as I have done many many times) and said, "Not now, okay?"
In the end, that spaghetti noodles were a little soggy, we were a little late getting to our activities, and I never had time to add a veggie or a side to our meal, but miracles did happen before 6:15 p.m. that night. It just wasn't the kind I expected.
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Lisa is a mother to 3 awesome children and a wife to a fun-loving husband. She believes in finding joy in the journey and that motherhood is not about perfection. Lisa runs an uplifting blog called Pebbles and Piggytails. It's purpose is to inspire us during our down-hearted mommy moments and help us remember why we love being moms!
