Mama Needs Wisdom, Always

Ask God for wisdom, not necessarily the answers. 

James 1:5 - "If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God (Who gives) to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him."

How this statement ministered to me this morning! I was in need of this wise nugget as I navigate a Friday morning solo; only the three youngest and I are at home, and it's Friday. Did I mention that it is Friday? Monday through Thursday we spend our mornings busily working through our studies in a more traditional way. Fridays are the day we engage in more hands-on methods for learning. Friday is the day we work on art, cooking, and other activities that children sometimes approach with more enthusiasm than those completed Monday through Thursday. Before we go on, please allow me to interpret the phrase "approach with more enthusiasm". "Approach with more enthusiasm" means there is greater potential for more noise and mess. 

When hands-on projects are underway, having someone available when Victorious Man of God gets into something is a wonderful gift. For instance, this very morning, Giggles and I heard the washing machine begin running. After a throwing a brief glance that silently asked "What is he into now?" towards each other, Giggles ran to the utility room; she runs faster than her mama. We learned that while 3-year-old Victorious Man of God was putting his boots on he became sidetracked by the sight of a "dirty" plastic bottle on the shelves above the washing machine and decided that he would wash the "dirty" bottle, in the washing machine. His reply to our inquiries was, and I quote, "The bottle was dirty, dirty, dirty! I start the water and throw it (the bottle) in so it get washed clean." Of course, a bottle on a shelf was dirty and needed cleaning, and a big old washing machine with fun soap to pour in was deemed the perfect way to clean it. So naturally, a three-year-old boy putting his boots on decided to take care of it. The fun around here never ends. During the week, one of the older girls is normally in the house with us. Having one of the older children in the house is a luxurious blessing I do not take for granted, especially on Fridays. 

Looking back on the early years I spent all day flying solo with the oldest four children, I can't help but wonder how the five of us survived each other. Even if I don't need to send out a cry for help every day(I usually do though), just knowing someone is available when an extra hand is needed is reassuring somehow. Granted, back in the day, Not of this World learned to do household chores when very young, and we had a really nice collection of safe Godly videos waiting to be of service when things got too crazy to handle. Somehow though, I'm pretty sure those are NOT the reasons we survived. Looking back on that previous season of mothering, I realize something. Those were really good years. Not that now isn't good, please don't misunderstand. I am enjoying now immensely. It's just that those years spent mothering four small children with My Beloved being gone all day, for a while all week long, sped by in such a blazing whirl of blessed wild crazy that I really didn't have time to consider them; I was too busy living those wonder years to think about them. Being in a different season of life now provides me with the opportunity of looking back and seeing those earlier years from another angle, an angle revealing they were good, really good. 

Viewing the past from another angle shows me something else: God can take crazy busy and use it for His glory. With four small children in the home all day everyday, we homeschooled then too, I was too busy NOT to ask God for His wisdom. I didn't have time to figure anything out for myself or wonder how to do this, that, or the other thing. I HAD to trust God to survive! Parenting books don't instruct a mother in the art of how to pick toy handcuffs from her child's wrist and ankle after said child has handcuffed them together while bathing. There is absolutely nothing in those books sharing how to help your naked child maintain their modesty and dignity when you are on the phone inquiring of said child's father whether or not he has any suggestions for picking toy handcuffs whose key is missing. Trust me, it's not in there. If you had known my children when they were young, you would also know God's gift of laughter kept me full day after glorious day. I still question why those toy handcuffs were in the bathroom. I also sincerely thank God toy handcuffs now contain an auto release button. 

My children may be growing up differently from one another, yet as their mother, I am still in desperate need of God's wisdom. No matter where our family lives, who is home or not, I still need God's wisdom to survive. Our days may be a completely new version of blessed crazy wild from what they were 20 years ago, but my need for God's wisdom is every bit as great. This morning, and every morning, I need to remember I don't need answers. I already have the answer; He is the answer. I need wisdom, His wisdom. Now, if you will please excuse me, I'm going to go explain to a certain three-year-old that his toy wagon is much better suited for being an outside toy instead of an inside plaything. By the way, have you ever listened to a metal toy wagon carrying a couple of smaller toys rattle across a wood floor? It's an experience I tell you, a very loud experience. An experience perfectly fitted for Friday.

*Note to the child whose wrist and ankle were handcuffed together: Please take note of the fact your identity has been protected. No one will know who you are, unless you, or one of your bros & sis, tells them.