A reminder for me not to complain...

Life can be tough sometimes for a mom of two small children... or so I thought. Lately, our life in the Howard household has been a little more hectic than "normal" and I started to get "fussy" about that. Yes, fussy is the nicest way to describe my attitude lately. My poor husband and children. I feel like I have been in survival mode the last few weeks just trying to keep up with all the laundry from a little girl with reflux and a toddler who likes to literally "eat on the run." When I look back on every day, I can see that so much of my time is spent cleaning... either the house or clothes or the kids! I have been throwing pitty-parties for myself and have had a few meltdowns in the past couple of days but in the midst of all that, the Lord is still trying to teach and grow me. Here are the two things that I feel like he showed me when I gave in to whining...

1. Thank the Lord for washing machines! My dear friend and mentor, Mrs. Burke, was kindly listening to me vent about how tough it has been with Zoee and her continual spit-up. She told me that she would still be praying for me and the kids but in the midst of our conversation she mentioned to me that her mom did not have a washing machine when she had little ones. I know this should not have been a surprise since washing machines are relatively new but it made me think. Can you imagine doing laundry on one of those wash-boards. Can you imagine doing that outdoors when it is freezing... or snowing...? Can you imagine doing that constantly with a child who spits up as much as mine do? Wow... how humbling. When Zoee spits up all I have to do is take off the outfit, wipe her off, put on another outfit, then throw the yucky one into a great big machine that does all of the work for me. I never have to step outside to brave the weather and I do not have to spend hours getting out every stain from the outfits. I am so thankful for my washing machine (and my dryer too).

2. Praise the Lord that we live in America today. I know a lot of us get upset with our government at times and the injustice that we feel is being brought against us. While all of that is so true, it could be so much worse. I am reading through Esther and something caught my eye this morning...

Esther 2:17
"The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set a royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti."

Most of the time when we read through Esther, we focus on her... and rightly so. But today the Lord made me think of the "other women" that the king did not choose. From what I have read and been taught- once the kings slept with you, you were committed to his harem for the rest of your life and were never allowed to marry or have your own family. Even if the king happened to choose you again, you were probably not allowed to have children (I'm thinking that only the queen would have been allowed to carry his children to full term). Can you imagine? You are a young girl with your whole life ahead of you... then you get taken from your home and "groomed" for the king for at least a year (each women went through a year's worth of bodily preparation for the king... Esther 2:12), then you would sleep with him for one night... then you would be taken to a home for other girls like you and you would live there, away from all of your family, for the rest of your life. You would never marry your dream man... you would never have your own children... you might never see your mom and dad and siblings ever again (if the kings said no... the answer was no). This is so humbling to someone whose biggest problem is that their daughter can't show off her cute outfits because she is always wearing a bib. I am so thankful for the Lord showing me this and I honestly hope that I will soberly remember this lesson when I am tempted to complain.

I hope that today we can all live out Psalm 100:4-5 today:
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

~Casi