How Would You Respond?

Most of you that read my blog posts either directly through blogspot, email or via Facebook are either moms or know of a mom to whom this would apply and would LOVE your feedback in the bottom comment box below once you finish reading this post.

Let me start off with a slight recap of just how this weekend went, after spending a week being a "single parent" since hubby has been traveling to San Francisco for a work related project. On the heels of being what I could call "Do it all for you Mommy!" I find myself, overly tired, cranky, and barely able to concentrate to figure out where does the milk go? Oh yeah, I forgot not the cupboard, but the refrigerator!

Who knows what I'll find when I go searching for something I may have inadvertently "put away" this week! Yet, I press on. But after the weekend arrived, something I so desperately wait for because it means some of my "required" work, like home schooling and taking the kids to their after school activities, I can get a break. But ha! That's where the humor comes in. I scheduled a hair appointment after receiving a gift certificate almost a month ago for my birthday and my oldest daughter asks me if I am excited to "get away" to get my hair done. I stared at her and I'm not even sure if I blinked or not and said, "No not really because at this point it feels like an item on my already too full "To Do List."

She smiled and attempted to explain her point further to me, " Well if it were me, I would so be enjoying all that pampering and couldn't wait to spend some time getting my hair done!"

I'm not sure I blinked again. Seriously??

This is from someone whose idea of being busy is an overly full social calendar and having to choose between which she would rather do, head to Disneyland mid week or attend a late night movie premiere with her boyfriend and cousin?

I don't think I need to explain as all the moms know where this is probably headed.

I'm not sure what to think of the generation that now lies before us. The one's who fail to see that living at home rent free, bill free and having most of your meals provided for you whenever you make it home. The one's who wonder just who left that towel on the living room floor but won't stop to pick it up because it wasn't them who left it there. Here's an example of our frustrated conversation over who left out a can of orange soda,(mind you, it's still cold, so it has to be someone who is still in the house currently!)

Me: Hey guys? Who's Orange soda is this on the kitchen counter?

Oldest Daughter: Which can? (There is only one can of soda on the counter, so I politely point to the exact item in question)

Me: That one!

Old Daughter: Not mine. (and walks away).

Me: (trying not to roll my eyes and not shout) Hey! Who's can of soda is this?

No answer but the other two teens in my house continue to ignore me and keep playing with their phones.

Me: (now physically picking up the can and walking the soda can over to them and ask again, trying not to raise my voice) Does this belong to any of you?

They all look at me, the soda can, shake their heads no and go back to playing their games on their phones.

This time I think the eye rolling works because I bump into the counter on my way back into the kitchen to dispose of the can of soda.

It appears to me that unless I specifically inform my household what I want done, it won't get done. No one will do laundry unless it's their own laundry. Towels remain on the bathroom floor and people come and go in my house at all hours of the day.

I find myself not needing to work out anymore because as I explained (not so nicely) to my hubby that I can stay so busy enough, picking stuff up and cleaning up after everyone that I don't have a minute of free time. I can literally clean one room walk away to work on something else and come back to a mess that "no one" made!

It is during this time I can tell, God's calling me to walk away. Head toward the hills and escape for some quiet time. The major signal for me that this time is coming is that I can't deal with two things happening at the same time, for example the television on and someone talking. It really grinds on my nerves the ones that I have left that is.

If I don't get away for some serious ALONE time, I will evidently break down and cry. This is a clear sign to me that Mom is empty and in need of replenishment. Today was no exception either, on the tail end of a rough weekend I wake up to find hubby's first initial flight out was cancelled and he had to rebook his flight out this morning. My oldest daughter and her boyfriend made plans to head to Big Bear to visit with his grandparents and I'm left home alone once again to handle the weight of running a busy household of 5 while hubby is gone. Calgon doesn't even offer an escape plan.

So while hubby is phoning me from a busy airport telling me his flight is delayed for 4 hours, the kids are running in and out of the shower before I even have a chance to get in, thus a cold shower for mom. At the end of proverbially rope this morning I find this in my devotional:

"The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat." ~ Mark 6:30-31

My question that was posed to me during my Faith Step was simply this, Imagine Jesus is saying to you: "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." How will you respond?

My answer: Lead the way!!

I think the point is that as moms we have a tendency to commit to our own ministries of taking care of our families to the point we have nothing left to offer when we collapse in bed at midnight. We have to remember that while Jesus calls us to serve, he also calls us to rest. So don't feel guilty for taking a nap, a time out, a quiet moment to just be still and refresh and let God renew you and refill you to overflowing. What would that look like in your life?

I'd love to hear your answers and anxiously await the end of my busy day to rest and lay my head down and just listen to God sing me to sleep tonight.

Prays appreciated my dearest friends. Not to mention I found out that my hubby's aunt lapsed into a diabetic coma yesterday on top of our snow ball express!