The Lost, the Least and the Last

THE LOST....

Since school's been out and summer has set in, my "normal" schedule got pretty out of whack for a while.  The kids were out of control, the house a mess all the time and my husband has been working a lot lately.  It was easy for me to fall into bad habits while the world started to fall down around me.  I can't seem to understand why my kids aren't listening anymore and I'm actually tired of talking by the end of the night because I've repeated myself so much throughout the day.  Okay I'll admit, that last part has to lie on my shoulders.  I shouldn't have to repeat myself to get my kids to listen and consequences should've happened in the first round, but OOOOOOOH boy!  My kids would spend the whole summer in the corner if I did that!

THE LEAST....

My feet were starting to stick to the kitchen floor, which was the only motivation that lead me to actually grab the mop and use it. I looked at my clean-spanking kitchen floor and sighed in pride.  It smelled good, it looked good.... it was good!  Then my little tornadoes came whizzing through and I was reminded why I don't mop the kitchen floor as often as I used to.  I came to the realization that cleaning house is like working for non-profit.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I used to work for non-profit.  People who work for non-profit don't work it for the money. They're there because they care, because their job means something to them.  But the problem with non-profit is that the job is never done.  There's never an ending to a task because once one part of a task is completed, you have to take that task and apply it to another perspective and file it, record it, then file it.... again.  Once you actually finish that particular task, you turn around and there's another one your desk.  IT'S NEVER ENDING!  Why bother cleaning the house if my little shadows are going to create the destructive path again right behind me?

THE LAST...

Well, I'm always last.  Everyone gets to eat first and once I clean up that meal, I'm finally getting to eat mine, but only scarfing it down because the kids are right back in the kitchen asking for a treat or a snack before I swallow my first bite.  I've adopted the term "KITCHEN'S CLOSED".  I'm last out the door because everyone else needs to be ready first (then I'm blamed for making everyone late).  Once I clean up one kid, they're messy again before I finish the second one.  Last to bed, first one up... well okay, there's a glitch there.

My point to all this madness?  God blesses the lost, the least and the last.  God sees what we do all the time.  Moms don't always get notice of all they do, let alone a "thank you".  Most often, mom is not quick enough, not clever enough, or not even good enough...  Our job never ends, it's hard and it still needs to be done even though we're dead on our feet.  Why do we do it then?  Because our job means something.  It's important.  Keep an honest heart, do the best you can and pray for guidance, and God will pour blessings on you.

morguefile.com/ jdurham

"But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."  ~ Matthew 19:30

  Is anyone out there?  Anyone?