Unexpected Answer
"Everywhere I look I see a mess," I lamented to Josh this morning. "I wish I had some time to do some cleaning."
Had I prayed those words, I would have expected the answer to come in the form of a whole day, or at least a whole morning, without anybody in the house; just me and our disorganized mess and some cleaning supplies. Maybe a little Vivaldi and some coffee thrown in for good measure.
The Lord in His goodness and matchless sense of humor did answer my unprayed request, but here's how it looked instead:
Five minutes after that conversation with Josh, I was preparing for another day of homeschooling my brood. Seth had just meandered into the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal. Eden was just starting to call for me to come get her up (she's still in a crib, and we like that very much thank you!), and I was dialing a dentist's number to make an appointment quickly before the day got out of hand. Too late.
As I waited for the girl at the dentist's office to answer the phone, I heard a thud followed by the sound of liquid gushing everywhere. Every mom abhors that sound. I looked up and gazed on the unthinkable. An entire brand new gallon of milk had fallen from the top shelf of the fridge, burst open, and spilled at Seth's feet, spreading immediately in all directions. I gasped audibly in horror at the exact moment the receptionist answered the phone, "Dr. Aguila's office, how can I help you?"
I didn't know what to say. That simple question, in the face of such devastation to my kitchen, left me speechless.
"Hello?" the bewildered receptionist tried again.
I couldn't think where to start. What was my name? I shut my eyes and fled into the office, and somehow recovered enough to remember my name and make the appointment. Then I took a deep breath and stepped back into the kitchen to survey the damage.
There was Pep, still standing dazed in the middle of a river of milk. I made an island out of paper towels and got him to drier ground. I looked around and did what any rational mom would do. I got my phone to take a picture. No one would believe this, and I needed to remember it.
Milk was dripping from every lower cabinet and the stove, forming rivulets, and joining the lake of milk already on the floor. In my cleaning efforts later, I would discover it had even run under the cabinets, under the wall, and out into the garage. All the shoes that collect by our door were doused. The entryway rugs (both the kitchen one and the garage one) were soaked. I had never seen so much milk in my life.
Suddenly it occurred to me that I had found the time to mop! My earlier complaint about no time to clean had been proven untrue. I thanked the Lord. And I really was grateful, for I realized in that moment that God makes sure we have time to do what we need to do. It's about priorities, not about time. School would simply have to wait a minute or two hours.
Seth and I sopped up most of the milk with my mop and paper towels--a roll and a half!--and then we laid more paper towels over the bulk of the damp, sticky floor to wait at least until Seth and Eden had eaten their breakfast, when I could really take the time to mop for real. This was going to be okay.
But wait, it gets better.
Twenty minutes later, with paper towels still all over the kitchen floor, I was getting ready to put Eden in her chair to eat, when she enthusiastically pointed to her bowl of cereal and proclaimed "This is for ME!" Her pointing was too vigorous, and there was another spilling sound. *closes eyes and tries not to cry*
Yes indeedy, Eden's entire bowl of cereal, not just spilled, but sloshed and splattered from the dining room table onto the floor, up the wall, and into the kitchen. Cereal was plastered onto the trim and wall. Now I would have to mop both floors and wash the walls!
And then our new kitten, Willow, came to investigate and do her part to clean up the mess.
So what did I do this morning? I cleaned my floors because God in His sovereignty cleared my schedule for me. In His infinite wisdom, He answered my desire not at all in the way I would have chosen, but in a way that reminded me that He will give me grace and time to do what needs to be done. Amen!
And here's my newly-sparkling floor.
It looked like that for about 5 minutes, but I'm thankful it got done today!
Had I prayed those words, I would have expected the answer to come in the form of a whole day, or at least a whole morning, without anybody in the house; just me and our disorganized mess and some cleaning supplies. Maybe a little Vivaldi and some coffee thrown in for good measure.
The Lord in His goodness and matchless sense of humor did answer my unprayed request, but here's how it looked instead:
Five minutes after that conversation with Josh, I was preparing for another day of homeschooling my brood. Seth had just meandered into the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal. Eden was just starting to call for me to come get her up (she's still in a crib, and we like that very much thank you!), and I was dialing a dentist's number to make an appointment quickly before the day got out of hand. Too late.
As I waited for the girl at the dentist's office to answer the phone, I heard a thud followed by the sound of liquid gushing everywhere. Every mom abhors that sound. I looked up and gazed on the unthinkable. An entire brand new gallon of milk had fallen from the top shelf of the fridge, burst open, and spilled at Seth's feet, spreading immediately in all directions. I gasped audibly in horror at the exact moment the receptionist answered the phone, "Dr. Aguila's office, how can I help you?"
I didn't know what to say. That simple question, in the face of such devastation to my kitchen, left me speechless.
"Hello?" the bewildered receptionist tried again.
I couldn't think where to start. What was my name? I shut my eyes and fled into the office, and somehow recovered enough to remember my name and make the appointment. Then I took a deep breath and stepped back into the kitchen to survey the damage.
There was Pep, still standing dazed in the middle of a river of milk. I made an island out of paper towels and got him to drier ground. I looked around and did what any rational mom would do. I got my phone to take a picture. No one would believe this, and I needed to remember it.
Milk was dripping from every lower cabinet and the stove, forming rivulets, and joining the lake of milk already on the floor. In my cleaning efforts later, I would discover it had even run under the cabinets, under the wall, and out into the garage. All the shoes that collect by our door were doused. The entryway rugs (both the kitchen one and the garage one) were soaked. I had never seen so much milk in my life.
Suddenly it occurred to me that I had found the time to mop! My earlier complaint about no time to clean had been proven untrue. I thanked the Lord. And I really was grateful, for I realized in that moment that God makes sure we have time to do what we need to do. It's about priorities, not about time. School would simply have to wait a minute or two hours.
Seth and I sopped up most of the milk with my mop and paper towels--a roll and a half!--and then we laid more paper towels over the bulk of the damp, sticky floor to wait at least until Seth and Eden had eaten their breakfast, when I could really take the time to mop for real. This was going to be okay.
But wait, it gets better.
Twenty minutes later, with paper towels still all over the kitchen floor, I was getting ready to put Eden in her chair to eat, when she enthusiastically pointed to her bowl of cereal and proclaimed "This is for ME!" Her pointing was too vigorous, and there was another spilling sound. *closes eyes and tries not to cry*
Yes indeedy, Eden's entire bowl of cereal, not just spilled, but sloshed and splattered from the dining room table onto the floor, up the wall, and into the kitchen. Cereal was plastered onto the trim and wall. Now I would have to mop both floors and wash the walls!
And then our new kitten, Willow, came to investigate and do her part to clean up the mess.
So what did I do this morning? I cleaned my floors because God in His sovereignty cleared my schedule for me. In His infinite wisdom, He answered my desire not at all in the way I would have chosen, but in a way that reminded me that He will give me grace and time to do what needs to be done. Amen!
And here's my newly-sparkling floor.
It looked like that for about 5 minutes, but I'm thankful it got done today!
Comments