Wherever you go, there you are...

Have you ever thought, "I'd be a much nicer person if I didn't have to...." Fill in the blank. The things that lead us to the edge of sanity are different for each of us. Many of us might have the same issue and many of us have different ones. For me lately, it's been all about parenting. I feel like I am short-tempered, snappish, and sometimes just not nice to the one person in the world God has entrusted to my care. I even found myself yelling the other day that, "...the Bible says that children are to respect and obey their parents!" (I didn't quote the part about parents not exasperating their children (Ephesians 6:4). That wouldn't have helped my case at the time.)

That part I quickly mentioned about God entrusting specific people and things to my care, however, is really what life's all about. It doesn't matter how I'm feeling about my child at a particular moment, what matters is that I am his mom. It doesn't matter if my kid and I can spark a forest fire off each other, God has given me this particular person to nurture and raise - and that is all there is to say about it.

Wherever I go, I am his mom. Just like wherever I go, I am my husband's wife. Just like wherever I go, I am God's child and Jesus' disciple. It is those things that dictate who I am and how I choose to live my life, not the fit of those things with my emotional state in any given moment.

The goal of my day should be to follow through on these calls God has placed on me. A successful day should be one in which I didn't shirk my responsibilities or betray those callings.

Yes - there will be days (have been days) that are terrible, no good, very bad days. Days at the end of which all I can do is ask forgiveness from God and my family and pray that tomorrow, with God's help, will be better. And usually, they are better. But they are better because after a bad day or a series of bad days, I am more mindful of my attitude. I keep in mind that this is not solely my life. I live a life that I have given over to God. It is a life that is outwardly, rather than inwardly focused. When I have that attitude, I am able to give a lot more than I get and stop keeping score. When I remember that I belong to God and His path is my path, I am able to live a much more sacrificial life, because no matter where we go, we are still His, and God doesn't forget this even if we do.

Chesney Szaniszlo

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30