This is actually a piggyback post from my previous entry. A little cause and effect if you may. These past few weekends have been full of stuff. I have been doing photo shoots on the weekends, we have been picking out the details for our home (such a process to build!), we took a trip to North Carolina for my husband's triathlon, and one of the weekends Bumble was sick. Needless to say, we have done a lot of online church watching. I definitely have missed the consistency of going, but things have been so busy that honestly the weeks and weekends have all just been running together.
This last Saturday, after a morning shoot, I met my husband and our girls at the pool. We had a wonderful time, but as 2:30 rolled around my hopes of going to the night service dwindled. I knew that we needed to get them home, throw them in the bath, and put them down for naps. Believe me, those girls need their naps. So by 3:45 I had them down. Before Bumble crashed she said, "Mom, are we going to church tonight?" I said, "If you wake up in time, yes we will, but if you are still sleeping when it's time to go, we won't because you really need your rest."
"Deal!", she said.
It was 5:00 p.m. and still no stirring. Even the husband was passed out across the bed. Bumble has a history of getting sick shortly after I run her around too much with errands and activities so after thinking on it I let her sleep.
My husband woke up and we decided to watch the service online. At 6:30 p.m. her door popped open and immediately she said, "Mom, are we going to church?" I explained to her that church started at 6:00 and it's too late now. That girl was so disappointed. Not fully understanding, she pleaded her argument that we still needed to go.
Let the guilt set in. My child was begging me to go to church.
The next morning, I awoke at 6 a.m. to Bumble in my face.
"Mom, did I wake up early enough for church?"
I was thinking, "Oh yeah, too early."
Instead I said, "Yes, but we watched church last night online. We're not going today, but we'll go next week." I know. Shame on me.
"Mommmm...I want to go. Please can we go?!"
I rolled over and saw my husband, mouth wide open, snoring away. I glanced at the baby monitor and saw Hoot doing the same. Of course they were, it was 6 a.m. on Sunday, but how could I say no? My immediate thought was, "I have already seen and heard the service online. I really enjoyed it, but to go hear it again, when I could just stay in bed, did not seem very appealing." I reluctantly said that we would go and was immediately met with jumping up and down from Bumble. She was ecstatic. I made her breakfast, got her dressed, and glanced out the window. It looked cloudy, but not crazy. My husband would stay home with Hoot while we ventured out. I did not want Bumble to wake up Hoot so I let her wear the shoes that were still in the hallway, which totally did not match, but who cared? Not this Mom.
We were out the door, actually early (which rarely happens for early service), just in time for it to start sprinkling outside. Bumble and I ran to the car and I could feel my frustration growing. How terrible is it that my little girl is just dying to go to church and here I sit in the front seat grumbling because I had to get up earlier than expected and now it was starting to rain? I kept praying for perspective, the view I knew I should have, but all I could keep doing was focusing on the rain drops that were now pounding on my windshield. When the rains come down in Tennessee it seems to start flooding fast and people were pulled over on the highway. I could barely see out of the car, but here we were going to church. A church service that I had already seen. Why wasn't I in bed?!
Once we arrived, we ran into the church building, soaking wet. I checked in Bumble and she excitedly leaped up the stairs, leading to her class. Once she reached the top she smiled at me and sprinted down the hallway. In that moment, even though I was a little late, I found the right perspective. This little girl already has a growing heart for the Lord. Sure, she may love the crafts they do. She may love getting to see her friends, but I will tell you what else she loves. She loves getting in the car and telling us about the things she learned. She enjoys the conversations that we have about her lessons. I love it when we are doing seemingly endless errands and she says, "Mom, I will be patient because that's what God wants us to do" or "Mom, the flowers and grass are so beautiful. God made them for us." She sees our church as a place of joy, friendships, and a place where she hears about the Lord. This church has already been such a blessing for us in so many ways.
As I sat in the sanctuary, listening to the worship songs, I thanked the Lord that this little girl already has her heart stirred by Him. She already has a desire to be here and this desire was on her mind with the first opening of her eyes that morning. I asked for forgiveness for my attitude and thanked Him for the reminder that it is not all about me, but instead my responsibility and witness to her and her sister.
Just a thought as you prioritize your weekend activities. I know our family often gets carried away in all of the stuff. I thank God for my little girl and for reminding me what truly matters.
Have a great weekend!
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