My little sanctifiers

I have been so busy lately with trying to get my business going more. It seems as if every nap time I’m squeezing in a few phone calls or if my kids are entertaining themselves independently, I run off to the office and send out an email or two. Just doing things when I can.

And you know what I’ve noticed? It seems as if right when I really get started doing something, I’m interrupted by something or someone. During the day, it’s inevitably my twins. They have amazing Mom-dar. If I’m out of sight for more than 5 minutes, they know. And do they care that I’m trying to make a phone call? Nope. Of course, when I describe that, it’s sounds so endearing and cute, right? But not in the moment. At all. I’m trying to get some stuff done and if I could just have 10 minutes straight of uninterrupted time, that’d be kind of nice!

But you’ll never guess. They don’t care. So I stop my phone calls and wait until a better time. The problem is that half the time I’m with my kids, I’m distracted thinking about all the things I need to get done for my business. So I’m half in the moment and half not. Until I’m rudely interrupted by crying or homework or arguing or… something.

I’ll have to admit, most of the time I just get annoyed. I keep thinking to myself, “Come on people! Just a few minutes, please!” But every once in a while, I remember something that is so important – THIS is so much more important. The runny nose that needs to get wiped. The outstretched arms that need a hug. The angry fit that needs to be pacified and corrected. I’m trying to get my business going, but I’m also in the midst of raising my little blessings.

I’ve tried to figure out why it feels so much easier for me to do work for my business rather than deal with life with my kids, and you know what my conclusion is? With my business, it feels like I’m much more in control. I can call the shots. I have a plan and I can get it done. With my family, not so much. My family can feel intrusive. Unpredictable. And to be honest, inconvenient. I mean, I can’t even have a moment in the bathroom sometimes without an entourage!

But that’s what life is all about. I’m frequently reminded of Prov. 14:4 – “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.” God put us on this earth to honor and glorify Him, and one way to do that is to love the people He has allowed into our lives. No one’s going to care about that business I started nearly as much as the men and women my husband and I are sending off into this world one day.

Of course, loving these people He has placed in our lives will make our lives and/or our “mangers” messy. We will be inconvenienced over and over again. They will be obnoxious frequently. They will be unloving more often than we would care to ever think about. And it’s all so worth it. Thank God for my very messy manger. I wouldn’t have it any other way, can I hear an “Amen”?

These little people are our sanctifiers. How we react and treat these blessings in our lives is so important. Especially when they’re not feeling much like a blessing. They stretch us to have more patience, whether or not we want it. They broaden our capacity to love beyond what we thought possible. And even as we mold and shape them, they chip away at all of our sharp edges and smooth us out where we need it most.

God is so wise and so good. I just need to be reminded often that when I start feeling annoyed, I need to have a paradigm shift and start feeling thankful for each and every one of these moments. It may feel as if the LORD is using some serious rocks (i.e. loud twins) to chip away at my edges, but it is all for His glory and my good. I am so thankful (usually!) for my sanctifiers who make my life so messy and crazy. I hope you are thankful for the ones that the LORD has provided to bless you in your own lives. And for those in-between moments when you feel like you’re about to lose it: deep, gulpy, gi-normous breaths, my friend! Praise God for our sanctifiers.