Swimming against the tide takes effort. Sometimes it’s easier to go with the flow and let what will be, be, but in order to achieve a desired outcome you have to work against the natural flow of things and swim in the other direction.
Taking the good with the bad
There are many joys that come with being a parent. There is an undeniable thrill when you witness your baby learning to crawl or taking their first steps. Those moments when your increasingly independent youngster gives you a cuddle “just because” or picks up their school clothes without being asked. All of these are good things, but there are also moments that register on the “not-so-great” scale.
It’s not just me
Recently I saw a video posted on a friend’s Facebook wall that pretty much explained why I don’t seem to get anything done during my days at home. It reminded me that I’m not the only parent swimming in the opposite direction to my kids’ desire to create chaos.
Apart from the normal daily routine, in the past two days I have made the beds in my home a total of four times. Considering that we are a household of five beds, that’s 20 beds made in two days – and one of them is a top bunk. The reason? My three-year-old has decided that when Mommy makes a bed, and it looks nice and tidy, the obvious thing is to indulge her inner Goldilocks, climb in between the covers (or throw them on the floor) and check whether the bed was made “just right”. I can certainly see the funny side to this battle of the bedding but initially the frustration caused certain moments rated on my “not-so-great” scale.
Fighting a losing battle
Remaking a few beds may seem minor but there are days when it honestly feels like being mom means you’re walking against the wind. As fast as you can clean, tidy or fold, someone somewhere is unpacking, untidying and creating the next job on your list of things to do. It’s a never-ending story and no matter how hard you try, you never quite get ahead of the curve.
Do you measure up?
There is nothing more demoralising than feeling like you are constantly playing catch up. Even though you’re doing your best, you just can’t seem to win.
Most of us would like to consider ourselves good people. We try to be kind, caring, loyal to our friends, hard working, trust-worthy, and all the other things that are expected of decent human beings. Yet, deep down, if we’re really being honest, aren’t there times when we realise we’re not quite as good as we would like to be? Those moments when you’re frustrated and take it out on your family; or when you’ve gossiped about your friend or lost your temper when you promised yourself you wouldn’t. We all make mistakes and end up being less than we would like to be, our good intentions and motives unable to stand up against our own frailties.
You’re not on your own
It’s a universal complaint, something everyone has had to face. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul put it this way,
What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
The desire to be good, while honourable, on it’s own achieves very little. Our human nature is working against us, kind of like a child unpacking a drawer as fast as you can pack it. The Bible tells us that we all fall short when it comes to being good, but it also shows us how through Jesus, God has given us a way to measure up and be the kind of people He created us to be in the first place.
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