a touching end to a pretty lousy day. . . .

Today was a rough day! there's no other way to say it! my children were cranky, irritating (to me and to each other) and frustrating.  I found myself gritting my teeth throughout the day trying to deal with ridiculous issues that would arise between them.  I don't particularly care for days like this; frankly I loathe them.  I tried to keep my cool, be calm, yet as the day progressed I became a bit more irritable myself!  By evening I knew I had to somehow reign them in, get beyond our crankiness, and bring "something" to the table for us to hang onto.  Den and Brennan had left for a church softball game, the kids were ready for bed and I brought them into the living room and had them sit down in front of me.  I shared about the day, the poor responses we chose to display and then I opened our devotional book.  I began to read the devotions for the day.  I just love the book I'm using, it's short and simple but spoken as if God, himself, was talking to us.  He said, simply, that each day He has prepared treasures for us to find; some are good and some are not.  The ones that are not reveal the areas that we need to work on, to refine, to reshape.  I shared with the kids that I mess-up "alot" as a mom, and that I wasn't happy with my own behavior throughout the day.  I want God to change me; to get my eyes off of me and onto Him and others.  We talked about what that would mean for a 4 year old, a 9 year old and a 13 year old (these kids came up with some pretty staggering stuff).  I was completely blown away by the things my sweet babies shared.  After we finished I asked Colson to pray.  As he was praying, I was brought to tears by the simplicity of his words, his heart and the way he opens up to God.  We've a long way to go, but tonight was a wonderful start.  When I tucked the kids, into bed, I asked God to help us remember the treasures He has for us as soon as we wake up and to look for them throughout our day.

If your looking for a great devo for your kids check out this book.  I think you will find it pretty amazing and your kids will completely agree.