Paint.

It’s the best friend of my arch-nemesis glitter.  Glitter is on the no-fly list at my house.  One time I tried to be that ‘fun Pinterest mom’ and make the time out/cool down jar.  My inspiration died (and I was the one in need of the cool-down jar) when my three year old dumped the glitter for the project down my stairs.  To this day random glitter can still be found scattered in the most obscure places–all stemming from that one attempt at craftiness.

Who knew that Pinterest could teach life-altering lessons?  My takeaway? Just say no to the glitter.

‘Mom, I want to use gli…’

“No.”

‘Sparkles make it more beauti…’

“No.”

“But mom, don’t you like glitter?”

“Most definitely, no.”

Paint, however, is a different story.  My four children were dying to paint the other day.  They had asked me repeatedly over a few days.  I was also desperate for five, maybe ten minutes of uninterrupted time to cross just one task off my to-do list.  I remembered an idea from Pinterest about painting in ziploc bags. Voila.  I was able to start a load of laundry AND take the garbage out.  Score.  I snapped a picture and posted it on Facebook, because folks, ten minutes was a victory.  A load of laundry started was a victory.

But that’s enough about my victory.  I want to talk about the days when I’m not so victorious.

Most days ‘up-time’ as my two year old calls it dawns on someone else’s schedule.  On any given day I could use just a few more minutes hours of sleep.  I’m not even asking for drool-inducing coma-like sleep.  No, I’d settle for that quasi-conscious state where you are generally aware that you should wake up, but you don’t want to.

These are the days when merely moving through the necessary requirements of the everyday feels daunting.

• feed four (ten, one, six, two…insert any number you want) kids breakfast?  impossible.
• brush four sets of teeth (including my own!!!)? unthinkable.
• make sure everyone changed their underwear?  are you kidding me?

Days like these hang heavy with the swamp-like weight of failure.  It clings to me like damp mist and blocks the radiance of my children because the mere thought of getting to bedtime hems me in, not to mention the ideals of raising the littles to love Jesus and help others and actually aim and HIT the toilet bowl when relieving themselves.

This mom gig is an impossible task, but Mama, you are not called to summit the mountain of impossibility by yourself.  No, today, and only today your call is to the necessary…to do the next thing…one foot in front of the other.

Do the necessary.

Pray a little.  ”God help me.  I can’t do this; I can’t do today without you.’

**when I am having the rough days, the swampy days, where I feel like my feet are bound in the muck of good intentions yanked away by sleep deprivation, I have a few friends I can text and ask to pray for me…who can you text?**

Get dressed.  Yes.  Even if it is a yoga pants and t-shirt kind of day.  Just put on clean clothes.

Do the next thing.

It can be as quick as changing a diaper or as daunting as organizing a playroom.  Whatever your ‘next thing’ is…go conquer it.

Feed yourself.

Once you have the necessary, focus on the possible.  Is it possible to instill a Bible-full of values in one afternoon?  No.  But you CAN read ONE Bible story.  Pray ONE prayer together.  Intentionally hug each of your children and tell them why you love them.  Eat a piece of chocolate.  Or two.  And soon, wee habits done consistently over a long period of time make a difference.  (My pastor is always saying that.)

And all of the sudden, the words of St. Francis of Assissi (who inspired this post) are coming to fruition…

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible’ and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Jesus, be with each and every mom today who feels the weight of mothering the beautiful blessings you’ve given her and feels that it is too heavy; that you have asked too much.  Help her to give her burden over to you.  Give her the courage to reach out and ask for help.  Send women to come alongside her and support her.  Enable her to do the necessary.  Strengthen her to overtake the possible and Lord, with your help, let her do the impossible.

Kristina

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