Perfection disrupted. Like the time I made cloud dough, the perfect distraction for my 3 and 5 year old while I cleaned house, right? They were so content in there, laughing, getting along, it was amazing! I got so much done! Until I went to check on them and found them having "A snowball fight, Mom!". Powdery cloud dough covered my table, my benches, my floors, my walls, my ceiling, my children...and my dogs. Probably should have seen that coming.
Or the time when we had just moved into our brand new, perfect house and my son, then 3, decided to make a "stay out" sign for the loft/playroom. On the wall. And the log post. With dry erase marker. Nice. (Interesting fact: Dry erase marker does not erase from walls or wood and is apparently more permanent than permanent markers on these surfaces.)
Then there was the time when I had my house perfectly spotless and beautifully decorated for my Christmas knitting party (that was starting in 10 minutes) and my oldest, then 6, wanted to "make snow" and happily emptied half a bottle of baby powder over the loft railing. Merry Christmas everyone!
Or recently, when I was so impressed with how perfectly well behaved my 5 year old was during her quiet time only to discover later, much later, that she had been busy gluing the couch pillow to the couch cushion with a whole bottle of Elmer's Glue. Awesome. (Another interesting fact: Elmer's glue is not nearly as "washable" when it is soaked into fabric one bottle thick and completely dry.)
This is not what I expected motherhood to be like. Not sure what I did expect, but I'm pretty sure it involved angelic faced children in pristine white clothes, with perfectly combed hair and upturned faces full of adoration for their mother. Their mother, of course, a saint, who never raises her voice, always has a delicious meal on the table at least three times a day and fresh cookies and a hug whenever they walk in the door (I grew up watching "Leave it to Beaver" people). Well, as you can imagine, I was a bit shocked when these perfect little cherubs of mine grew devil's horns and their mom turned out to be more like Rosanne than June Cleaver. Fortunately, God is in the business of taking our imperfections, adding the thread of salvation and weaving it together into a beautiful tapestry of grace, worthy of Heaven and eternity in His presence. We were created for perfection, for The Garden of Eden, for oneness with our Creator. Ever since we broke that connection our hearts have been striving for what was lost. Our desire for perfection is really a desire for Christ, because He is the ONLY perfection that has not been and never will be disrupted or corrupted. So when we feel the disappointment of not living up to the ideals of this world or our own imaginations, we can turn our eyes upward to the only ideal that matters, the One who can take our imperfections and turn them into something beautiful. The One who takes our sins and wipes them away (like dry erase markers on a white board, where they belong). Only He can cover us and make us white as snow (or cloud dough, or baby powder, whichever you prefer). When we fail we must swallow our pride and humbly go to the One who will put us in our place. Right next to Him.
Thank you Jesus for that!
-K
Or the time when we had just moved into our brand new, perfect house and my son, then 3, decided to make a "stay out" sign for the loft/playroom. On the wall. And the log post. With dry erase marker. Nice. (Interesting fact: Dry erase marker does not erase from walls or wood and is apparently more permanent than permanent markers on these surfaces.)
Then there was the time when I had my house perfectly spotless and beautifully decorated for my Christmas knitting party (that was starting in 10 minutes) and my oldest, then 6, wanted to "make snow" and happily emptied half a bottle of baby powder over the loft railing. Merry Christmas everyone!
Or recently, when I was so impressed with how perfectly well behaved my 5 year old was during her quiet time only to discover later, much later, that she had been busy gluing the couch pillow to the couch cushion with a whole bottle of Elmer's Glue. Awesome. (Another interesting fact: Elmer's glue is not nearly as "washable" when it is soaked into fabric one bottle thick and completely dry.)
This is not what I expected motherhood to be like. Not sure what I did expect, but I'm pretty sure it involved angelic faced children in pristine white clothes, with perfectly combed hair and upturned faces full of adoration for their mother. Their mother, of course, a saint, who never raises her voice, always has a delicious meal on the table at least three times a day and fresh cookies and a hug whenever they walk in the door (I grew up watching "Leave it to Beaver" people). Well, as you can imagine, I was a bit shocked when these perfect little cherubs of mine grew devil's horns and their mom turned out to be more like Rosanne than June Cleaver. Fortunately, God is in the business of taking our imperfections, adding the thread of salvation and weaving it together into a beautiful tapestry of grace, worthy of Heaven and eternity in His presence. We were created for perfection, for The Garden of Eden, for oneness with our Creator. Ever since we broke that connection our hearts have been striving for what was lost. Our desire for perfection is really a desire for Christ, because He is the ONLY perfection that has not been and never will be disrupted or corrupted. So when we feel the disappointment of not living up to the ideals of this world or our own imaginations, we can turn our eyes upward to the only ideal that matters, the One who can take our imperfections and turn them into something beautiful. The One who takes our sins and wipes them away (like dry erase markers on a white board, where they belong). Only He can cover us and make us white as snow (or cloud dough, or baby powder, whichever you prefer). When we fail we must swallow our pride and humbly go to the One who will put us in our place. Right next to Him.
Thank you Jesus for that!
-K
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