Sunday Morning Tornado

It's almost four in the afternoon on this beautiful Sunday and I am just now settling down at home. Nathan is already back to work and at this very moment all four kids are napping. I would really like to nap, but I am quite sure a tornado came through our house this morning (so I am blogging instead of tending to the destruction).

There is stuff everywhere from this morning's 'get ready for church' experience. We start early and have plenty to do as we prepare for worship at 10 am. It tends to be a little wild. This Sunday morning was no exception. It was not stressful; there was just so much happening. It was the first cold morning of the season, so some of the warm clothes that I had set out either did not fit them or were too warm. That led to several changes of clothes which is never convenient on a Sunday morning. The breakfast bowls are still on the table. All of the hair 'stuff' needed to get four women ready for church is still on the bathroom counter. The beds were not made. The stuff in diaper bags that we don't need at church is all over the laundry room counter. It just did not go how I had hoped.

I would like to think this a unique experience to me - that I just have some circumstances that cause my Sundays to be a bit wacky. I mean, I do have four small kids and I pretty much do Sundays as a single mom since Nathan leaves long before we wake up and when we do arrive at the church we all say 'hello' to daddy and then he is back off to work. Any little thing could completely throw a wrench in our morning. The truth is, this isn't an experience unique to me. Yes, Satan would like for my morning to be bad and completely ruined, but their are countless other families he wants to disrupt as well. He is out to steal our joy of coming before the King of Kings with fellow believers to worship together. He does not want any of us to experience heart change, sound Biblical teaching, or encouragement from others. This morning, Satan did not win in my house and heart.

It took every bit of concentration and effort on my part, but we did arrive at church on time. The older pair worshipped quietly without disrupting others. I enjoyed an entire worship hour without being called back to the nursery. Everyone enjoyed their Bible study classes. We had a wonderful day with God's people. This all happened despite the physical mess at home. I know there will be Sundays, probably many, when Satan will have more than a field day with the Linos, but I know there will be many more that help to produce heart change and a family that loves God more.