"Goodnight Taegan"
"Goodnight Garrison"
"Goodnight Ainsleigh"
"Goodnight Shaelin"
and on and on and on till all 9 children have told their brothers and sisters, mom and dad, cats and dogs, and anything else that might need to be told goodnight. Oh, and don't forget Mom and Dad needing to kiss, hug, and tell goodnight all their baby dolls and stuff animals as well.
This long routine at bedtime has been a constant annoyance to me up till recently when God showed me a new perspective on it. I mean honestly, it is late, I and my husband are tired, we just want to get them in bed so we can get the dishes washed, sink shiny, and head to bed before we have to get up and start this all over again. Can you blame us for being annoyed?
Maybe annoyance seems reasonable when this little routine adds an extra 45 minutes to the bedtime routine, but God has shown me that the issue isn't with the time I feel I am losing in sleep, it is with the selfishness in my heart and the blessing I am missing. Each of these children are a blessing from him and the love that they are showing to each other comes from Him as well, so why am I trying to squash that just to get the spoons clean for breakfast?
Ouch! When God points something out, He doesn't waste punches on getting to the heart of the matter.
Taking a step back, God has shown me that these moments are precious and we only get them for a little while. They are also the key to making a close, loving family that will stick together through good times and bad. I need to see my children's antics through His loving eyes and enjoy them while I can. Some days I may struggle to remember this, but I must commit to TRY each day to do so and let them see how much I love them and not be annoyed with any time delays that might occur because they are showing that love to each other.
If I am honest with myself, my rushing them off to bed and getting annoyed over this was a selfishness on my part of wanting some down time. I was missing the blessing in this moment of seeing my children display Love for each other every night. Selfishness was robbing me of this, and I must pluck it out by the roots so my rose bed of blessing can thrive and be seen. I need to revamp my way of thinking and see that blessing in the little things and respond with love and gratitude to it. Likewise, as I change my heart and behavior, they will change what behavior they model as well.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23
The wellspring of life flows from the heart, and it will only flow with what we put into it. I want that to be Christ-likeness for my kids, but I can't lead them to that until I acknowledge and change what is in my own heart, like selfishness in getting annoyed at bed time taking forever.
