Dogs, Revivals, and Chaos

I have a short memory.  A little while ago I would have told you how much I missed having puppies and dogs, but just a few days into watching a friend's puppies and dog...it's all coming back to me.  I literally woke up to the smell of dog poop wafting up the stairs into my room.  And not just one pile, but 4.  Really big piles.  But I couldn't deal with it right away.  I had to take her outside to the barn where we have her 9 puppies.  She must have really wanted to nurse them because she literally dragged me there.  I almost fell the whole way.  Wait, I did fall.  Inside the dark barn where I tripped over a ladder I didn't see on the ground.  She quickly nursed her puppies and then back inside I dealt with the poop.  It was a gag/shovel/gag/shovel experience I don't want to repeat for awhile.  The whole time my kids are all fast asleep.

Ah well, I'm in a little over my head, but it has brought some joy back into the home after losing a dog this past summer.  The thing is, a dog is a huge commitment that all my kids seem to have forgotten.  I am now definitely remembering.  Yet, there is a bigger picture going on behind the scenes.  I'm not just watching a dog family, I'm hopefully participating in a reconciliation marriage story.  As the dog family is here, the human family is away trying to work out the kinks.  The time will pass quickly and hopefully the small offering we give will have spiritual ramifications.  Isn't that what this time before Easter is all about?  Giving up convenience?  Time?  Money?  Usually when you fast, it is food and then, when you are hungry, you pray.  I'm going to try to turn that on its head this time and pray every time I see a kid take the dog for a walk, or I bend over and pick up a pile of doggie doodoo.  Not exactly the type of fast I intended and, in a way....HARDER! 

Meanwhile, Friday night's Revival was amazing.  I think the thing that made me the happiest was that for an hour of the night our entire family was able to be there together.  Everyone was able to experience the joy of worshiping, singing, praying, begging God to work in our lives and in our friends' lives, in the life of our community.  There weren't hundreds of people, but there were enough to make it feel like it was full.  It was amazing to see so many students with closed eyes, raised hands, jumping up and down at some points, and then down on their knees at other points, all clearly wanting more of God in their lives.  The worship leader was trying to tell them the emotional high that people were feeling can't stop at the one night.  Nights like that can be hard to recreate every single day as it is definitely a mountain top experience, but at the same time they can recharge you and help you get through the harder times.

I wish I knew what went on in the hearts of my little ones.  I know they were definitely moved, some even to tears.  I'm not even sure they can articulate it themselves, but I pray that God will keep their hearts soft, that they will learn to recognize His voice.  I know that God isn't limited by age.  He speaks to people of all ages, so I can't assume just because they are young that God wasn't talking to them.

I see God developing friendships with my older kids that they all need to stay on track.  A long time ago, when all our kids were still very young, under 9 or 10, we met an older man who saw our family and wanted to pass on advice.  His main piece of advice was to watch the influence of friends.  They were his children's downfall he said.  I've never forgotten that.  All I want is to make my children happy and sometimes I'm willing to risk my children's souls just to make them happy.  My husband is not like that at all.  He would rather my children have next to no friends than to have the wrong friends.  It's much more clear to him.  All that to say, now that the older set are becoming adults and I have less choice in who they spend time with, I am praying they will continue to surround themselves with positive influences that will spur their faith on.  Friday night's revival was full of those kinds of people, so I was super happy about that.

On a completely different note, we are repainting the girls' room.  After nearly 10 years, it needed it.  It's amazing the damage girls can do to walls, ceilings and floors with just tape and pins.  The patching on the walls made it look like there wasn't a spot that hadn't been destroyed by them.  It never gets done fast enough as my husband will be away most of this week, but it eventually gets done.  I have to live with more chaos than normal because their entire bedroom is in the hall or my room, but what can you do? Chaos is our specialty.  That is a great name for a book.