Preparing for a Flood

I thought I was doing good. We were getting ready to go and I noticed my eight-year-old's nails looked like shovels on the ends of his fingers. "Please trim your nails before we go." As he walked away I noticed his pants were too short. "Change your pants too, those are too short now." And as he was rounding the corner I yelled, "Don't forget to brush your teeth!"

Before walking out the door I asked if he had taken care of everything I asked of him. "Yes mom, I even flossed." That a boy! We all piled in the vehicle as I was mentally ticking off boxes. Coats, check. Shoes, check. (It's winter, you'd think that would be a given, but no. It has happened.) Books, bags, check. Hair, umm looks pretty good, check. Keys, wallet, cellphone, check.

We thankfully arrived at our destination, on-time no less! As Mason (the eight-year-old) is getting out of the car I notice his white socks peeking out at the ankle. While he is running ahead of me, I see that he has changed his pants like I asked. However, he has chosen a pair of pants that are shorter than the previous ones I asked him to change out of. Sigh.

So often, as a stay at home mom, my little victories come when the kids are dressed in clothing that fits, hair combed and teeth brushed. I felt a bit deflated. As we walked in the door, I also felt a bit embarrassed. Yes, I did check the pant length of every boy I walked by! No socks showing. I guess my Mason was the only one preparing for a flood. (He and Noah) Sigh.

As I was throwing a little pity party over Mason's pants and hoping no one would make fun of him, a small voice whispered, "The Lord sees the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7b says, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Thank you Lord! That is my goal. I don't want the best dressed boy in the room if his heart is not full of love and joy. I don't want to spend tons of money on designer clothing. I want to spend a ton of time growing this boys character. Teaching grace and mercy. Kindness and goodness. I want his heart growing so big that it outgrows his little body and overflows into the people around him.

Be ready for that flood young man! When it comes, I hope you are the first person to reach out a helping hand, bring needed supplies, lend a listening ear, and do it all with a smile on your face and compassion overflowing from your heart.  Love from your mom who thinks you are growing waaay to fast.