Mess

 "Resisting God's promises will make us forget God's presence."

Sometimes I forget that it must be hard to be *just* four years old. In control of very little. Overwhelmed by a lot. Burdened by emotions that you can't always put words to or harness.

I had this moment this morning when she was having an enormous meltdown. I had asked her to do something. She had dug her heels in with a firm "NO." For a moment, I wanted to dig in on my side.

Then I remembered, we're a team.

Me, and her. We're a team.

I'm called to climb into her meltdown and show her the way.

I'm called to be her constant. Her lighthouse. Her rock. Steady. Calm.

It's TOUGH. I'll confess. I wanted to throw myself on the floor. Or hide in my closet with a cold coke.

I'm reminded that God is NOT running from my mess. He's climbing in with me. Meeting me where I'm at.

When I'm too overwhelmed with emotions, when I don't know what to do, when I'm melting down - He stays with me.

You see Jesus is all about the mess. He's been cleaning up messes since Eve's first one in the garden. Life is messy. Jesus wants to do life with me. My real, messy life.

We are a mess in need of a Savior.

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Mama Warriors, the summer days are LONG. Sweet Jesus, the bedtimes grow later and the mornings don't shift. Summer days are messy. There's all this unstructured togetherness. There's new places, new faces, new experiences. There's mess.

Remember, you and your kiddo - you're a team.

Climb into the mess with them. Hold the high expectations, keep the boundaries firm - but in the end, you're a team. You show the way. You're the lighthouse.

Your RESPONSE teaches far more than you think. (Published June 2017)