No use crying over spilled juice...

     Enjoying the nice beauty of a house that was clean, I began to relax! Then..... it came.... "MOM! MOM! HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Knowing that was the sound of panic coming from my 5 year old, I rushed in the kitchen..... as I rushed in, all my relaxation rushed out! James (2 1/2) decided he was big boy enough to get the huge bottle of purple grape juice out of the fridge, and pour it in his own sippy cup... 

     Stop right there.... if the kid still requires a sippy cup... WHY on earth is he attempting to pour his own juice? No idea... but nevertheless he did. And there sat Tabitha at the table, grape juice flowing like a river all over her and all her coloring pages she just finished coloring. James was upset he had no juice in his cup and Tabitha was mad (to put it lightly) that her brother decided to dump it all over her! 

     In walks David, mop in hand, ready to clean up the mess. He waits a few as I attempt to clean most with a towel. Then he proceeds to get water on his mop (what he could get from the bathtub) and mop the kitchen floor. Great idea.... except he was just mopping grape juice all around. He then decided to mop the living room and his sisters room and the playroom. Big boy helper (I appreciated the effort) kind of made it a little bit of a sticky situation. 

     An hour later, the house is re-mopped, the kids are happy and life is back to "normal"..... well as "normal" as we can be! Our feet still stick to the floor a little bit.... 

     Ever have this happen to you? Just wanting to bask in the moment, enjoy the breath of fresh air you seem to have been given? Then suddenly, unexpectedly, its yanked away and chaos ensues! But its not about how you react to the relaxation that is important, but its about the reaction in the chaos. Do you stand back, take a breath and say "God... I need you to help me through this"... or do you take hold of it and say... "well... once again I am left to deal with this mess... let me pull out my gloves and start cleaning!" 

     I know I am guilty of saying "well let me deal with it"... but I need to step back and breath and let God be in control... not myself. Otherwise, if I take control, its going to be like it was with David trying to take control and 'help' ... its only going to make the problem spread out more, over a bigger area, it may not be as noticeable, but it's still there and not too long after, it's going to leave a sticky mess of yuck everywhere you go! 

     I encourage you, and myself, when faced with the chaos of life, step back, and let God take control. Sounds hard... but it's best! 

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Luke 11:11-13

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

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