The other evening, Lee Lee was having a hard time. I've recently started the four oldest kiddos on daily chores which rotate every day. They are all pretty big chores - loading the dishwasher, unloading the dishwasher, sweeping the kitchen after dinner, cleaning the table after dinner, and feeding the animals.
The hardest part about these chores is that most of them need to be done after dinner, and the kids are often tired and cranky after dinner. I have not had routine chores during the school year for exactly this reason... but now that summer is here, and they are able to sleep significantly later, now is the time to make the chores a part of the routine.
If the children gripe and complain about their chore, and/or do not give their best effort to their chore, that will be their chore again the next day until they can do the chore as best as they can, without complaining.
Lee Lee's job a few nights ago was unloading the dishwasher. She had spent much of the day playing with friends and riding bikes, so she wasn't even home to do the chore before dinner time... and after dinner, she was not a happy camper about doing her chore. While she was griping and complaining, I informed her that this would be her chore tomorrow as well because she needs a little more practice about the things we say while doing our chores.
She was crying, and started telling me that hated the rules at our house. She went on to tell me that she wanted to be the Mama. Why couldn't she be the Mama because then she could make the rules.
Even while she continued to comply and get through her chore, she was crying and crying... She wanted to be the Mama because then she could make the rules. When I told her that she would be the Mama someday, and then she could make the rules, she told me that she wanted to be the Mama NOW!
And when she finished her chore, she came to me for a hug, and she cried and cried about how unfair it was that she couldn't be the Mama now. She wanted to make the rules now.
She went to bed, and woke up the next day, and unloaded the dishwasher around lunchtime without and complaints, and she was happy to hear that she will have a different job tomorrow -- no need to repeat the unloading job another day, and it won't come around to her again for another three days.
All that to say, while she was crying and crying... and she was very tired, and she sincerely felt like life was unfair, and she really did want to make her own rules, I couldn't help but be so convicted because that is exactly what I say to God about my own life.
"Why can't I make the rules NOW?" "Why do I have to do it Your way?" "Why did you make things happy they way they did... why couldn't You have done it MY WAY?"
I understand the big picture of trying to mold my daughter's character and teaching her the responsibility and determination of having daily chores to contribute to how smoothly our household runs... that's why she has to follow our house rules. But I don't always get to see the big picture of why God puts me in certain situations, or makes me to walk down a specific path -- one that I would not have chosen for myself.
How often am I tired of the currently job, and just crying and complaining about having to do it His way? And how often does He make me repeat the path until I can walk it without complaining?
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