Merciful Moments for M.O.M.SSýnishorn

M- Messy Moments Matter

“Wipe your mouth.”

“Scoot up to the table.”

“Try not to spill “it” on the floor.”

Daily, I ask my three-year-old daughter to do these things repeatedly during mealtime.

I am constantly trying to minimize how much of a mess she will make. In my ongoing desire to keep her area clean, these recurring requests are my desperate attempts to keep the mess she will ultimately make controlled and tidy.

Sound familiar?

I know I’m not alone.

As mothers, we are constantly cleaning.

Washing clothes, wiping noses, mopping floors, clearing food, and washing dishes, to name a few. EVERY SINGLE DAY is filled with relentless pursuits to keep our homes, ourselves, and children clean.

Like me, trying to contain the messy parts of my daughter’s mealtime, we often try to limit how much mess others see of us, and especially how we parent.

To the world, the perfectly crafted IG photo was an inconsolable tantrum trying to be tamed thirty minutes earlier.

Our Zoom call space on the computer is carefully positioned to hide the surrounding mounds of clutter. Am I the only one?

Newsflash:

Food will continue to fall on the floor, laundry will not cease, and stains will likely occur.

God is not afraid of our mess and wants us to cast all our cares to Him. (I Peter 5:7)

No matter how much of a mess our children or we make, God still loves us! Let us embrace motherhood's “messy” moments with a new perspective, renewed mind, and grateful attitude. We can recognize that God’s mercy, love, and grace are more than enough during messy times. Instead of trying to clean all the stains away, we can sit with our children, be more present, and develop loving relationships.

We often use the physical mess in our homes to affect the internal mess in our hearts. But we don’t have to do so.

Instead, we have the option to receive God’s presence and mercy in our “messy” seasons in life and motherhood.

When our lives and tables are filled with mess, God still wants us to come.

God doesn’t want us to clear our mess before talking with Him.

Mama, you can come to Him just as you are.

Reflection Question: How will you begin to invite God’s presence more into your messy moments?