It's Spring time -- which means allergy season -- and my family needs just a little more grace, please. Or maybe a lot of grace.
I need God's grace to be patient with my children when their behavior is out of line. I need grace to deal with all the extra bickering, whining, and tears. I need God's grace to parent lovingly when I get a sudden sinus headache. I need grace given to me when I have a spaced-out day and totally forget something I had said I would do. I need grace when I can't remember to give my kids the allergy medicine that's sitting right there.
My kids need grace to be extended to them when they're too tired to cope with sibling issues lovingly. My kids need grace when disappointment leads to melt-downs. My kids need grace when they're so tired from allergies that they get hyper, or whiny, or totally distracted. My kids need grace when headaches make them irritable.
If you teach my kids at church, homeschool group, or 4H ... they may seem a little more distracted or tired or hyper than usual. Just not totally themselves. But they will hold it together for you, as best they can. And then they'll get in the car to go home ... and they'll relax and let their guard down. If we stop at a store, there will probably be a meltdown from one of the younger kids. If you see us, give us grace.
If you happen to call me, or stop by our house, you'll probably hear bickering, whining, and crying in the background. Please don't judge too harshly. It's a really rough time of year at our home. Seriously.
This is the time of year when I wonder why in the world I homeschool. This is the time of the year when I am tempted to run away for a day. This is the time of year when I think I must have been nuts to let God send these children to me. This is the time of year when I wonder what God was thinking to let me be a mother ... let alone to seven kids.
"Please, God, just a little more of your grace! I need it. I need you! Amen."
Trusting In Him,
April
