There is beauty in the mess at home! |
Now, as the mother to five little folks who seem bound and determined to fight one another to the death over things like whose Lego guy is whose, I can see the wisdom in my mother's actions.
In fact, I have been known to do the exact same thing. (DON'T tell my mom!)
The reality is that there is indeed beauty all around when everyone is getting along, when love abounds and everything is rosy. However, there is also beauty in the mess, in the learning to get along, in the trying to teach the small fry to serve, to help, to be kind and to love Jesus.
There is beauty in the imperfection of our little homes and havens. My house is not perfectly kept, my children are not stylishly dressed. But the beauty of that is in the fact that those things don't matter. The dishes, laundry, piles of toys everywhere are a problem that will eventually solve themselves, as my kids grow up and move on. I refuse to stress about those. Instead, I stress about loving them enough, teaching them to help each other, letting them learn to recognize the Spirit's influence, and above all, learning to love the Lord.
So rather than give up and sing the parody version we kids invented, ("There is beauty all around, when there's NO ONE home!") I'm embracing the mess and the noise, and trusting in the powers of the Divine, that our home, unlike that perfect vision in my head, is enough, that is a haven, and that when all is said and done, my children will look back and remember the beauty here, all around.
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Morgan is a mom of five, a new homesteader in rural New Hampshire and writes books in her spare time. Visit her at The Ing Family.
*photo source