I've personally made several versions of this quote for friends.
I've seen other options available on the world wide web. Pinterest has countless ideas for ya!
The message is the same, no matter the exact words or design.
Memories are more important than a clean house.
Love and laughter take precedence over pristine carpet, perfectly organized play rooms, trendy decor, and picture worthy Instagram posts.
As a mom of 4 young kiddos, I have learned this lesson over and over and over again in my short decade in parenthood.
Yesterday, day whatever of our STAY-AT-HOME order during this Covid-19 Quaratine, I wanted to be a fun, creative mom. Granted, I like to think I am a fun, creative PERSON, and motherhood simply provides me with more outlets to express those personality traits.
I had seen countless other fun, creative moms post on social media about how they transformed their windows or patio doors into BEAUTIFUL stain glass windows. There were crosses, hearts, flowers, and geometric designs galore. They were gorgeous! I was inspired. And maybe a little jealous.
Now, maybe these moms were just desperate to brighten up their kids' day or annoyed at hearing "I'm bored" for the 107th time before 9 am. I didn't care. I wanted to be them. Or at least have a beautiful window like them.
And we needed something to do for art class.
So, on Monday, I taped off the design on our 2 front windows.
I explained to the girls what we were going to do. I got them excited.
It was going to be amazing, EPIC.
They were pumped.
Tuesday came and it was time to make the magic happen.
They would look back on this day with fondness and smile at how fun and creative their mom was.
We would bond and create a memory for the ages.
I dutifully prepped the paints.
I had read that you should use washable paints and add a drop of Dawn dishsoap and a little bit of water to the paint to make it easier to wipe off the windows when the time for clean up came.
I set out 6 styfrofoam bowls and put a good sized glob of paint in each one. They were bright, bold colors. I couldn't wait to see how beautiful our window looked!
I added the Dawn, then the water.
Too much water.
The paint mixture was runny.
I tried to add more paint, but I didn't have enough paint left in my meager stash.
So the watery paint I created would have to do.
We would make the best of what we had.
I knew it was going to be messy.
But I was prepared.
I laid out a drop sheet to protect my carpet.
I even got a spare towel to have right there on hand in case of drips or spills.
I was ready.
And then the 4 girls, with their 8 feet, stepped on the drop sheet and knocked over a bowl of paint.
I explained how to gently, and slowly, and carefully, make sure their brushes didn't have too much paint on them. They violently shook them to get the excess paint off. Or just took them dripping to the window where more paint then proceed to run down the glass and onto the section their sister was painting. The colors mixed. There was crying and yelling. And the girls weren't the only ones upset.
We adjusted.
We took turns painting.
I did the high spots.
We learned to hold the bowls as we painted so we didn't accidentally step into a spare bowl on the floor. We remembered, sometimes, to watch where we stepped so we didn't plant our feet in already spilled paint.
We used the towel, A LOT, to wipe up spills and drips.
And eventually, we finished our masterpiece.
I took proudly took pictures, even though our windows weren't exactly what I had envisioned.
I posted on Facebook, because that is what you do these days, especially these days of quaratine.
I breathed in a sigh of relief that we hadn't made a bigger mess than we did.
Then, I went to clean up the supplies as the girls played in the yard.
Part of me wanted THEM to clean up and learn that is part of the creating process.
But a bigger part of me knew that would end in diaster and a bigger mess.
So I did it myself.
I threw away the paint bowls, gathered the brushes into an old cup, and proceeded to roll up the drop sheet. And that's when I gasped in horror.
The large globs of paint that had spilt had LEAKED THROUGH the drop sheet.
My carpet now had sections of purple, green, pink, blue, yellow, and orange.
I panicked.
I hollored at my oldest daughter to bring me ALL the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink.
I might as well have told her to bring the sink too.
I used all the things.
Carpet shampoo.
Vinegar and baking soda.
Hydrogen peroxide.
Whatever else was in the spray bottles in the cleaning continaer.
I scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed.
I vacuumed up the baking soda crumbs.
*Most* of the paint is gone.
But if you look closely, or really just glance in that general direction without much thought, you will see the strongwilled paint that would NOT let go of my carpet.
It adds character, right?
Gives our house depth.
A story to tell.
A memory to look back on.
Hopefully the girls remember the fun over the frantic, the laughs and not the screams, the smiles more than the tears.
As I laugh at my own mistakes that I made during the window painting experience, I can't help but think that God just might be smiling too.
How often does HE try to do a beautiful thing in my life and I make a mess of it, like my girls did with the paint and brushes and bowls?!
He formulates the plan, organizes the supplies, and gets all the details lined up.
Everything is in place.
It's going to be amazing, EPIC.
Then, I go and step in the paint bowl, splatter paint on the walls, drip paint down the window, and cry and yell and scream and stomp off because it's not working the way I want.
He paitently explains the process, again.
He redirects me.
He reminds me of the goal, encourages me to keep going even if it's not "perfect."
And He cleans up the mess.
MY mess.
And tomorrow He will have another project ready for me.
His mercies are new every morning.
Thank goodness.
God sees past the messes we make.
He focuses on the memories.
His goal is a RELATIONSHIP with me, with YOU.
With each and every one of us.
The Creator and Sustainer of the universe wants to spend time with US.
And He LETS us work with Him.
He could totally do a MUCH better job all by Himself.
And yet, He INVITES us to work side by side with Him, knowing we will make a mess of it.
The main thing ISN'T the project anyway!
It's WHO we become in the process!!!
You see, the project isn't actually the project.
WE are.
God is at work IN you to make you into the amazing, epic masterpiece HE has envisioned since before time began!!!
So if you are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated or discouraged about a mess in your life right now,
take a deep breath.
God is STILL at work.
And bringing about something bigger and better than we can see in the here and now.
This morning, as I took my first shower of the week, I listend to the Made For This podcast as Jennie Allen and her 14 year old daughter shared about her struggle with dyslexia. Caroline, in wisdom beyond her years, explained how God uses our difficulties to grow us and draw us closer to Him. AND then to encourage others who may be going through a hardship of their own.
If you drive past my house and see our "stained glass" window, you will see a pretty nice heart and cross with bright, bold colors. You WON'T see the leftover paint splattered on the walls or the stains in the carpet. Unless I had shared, you wouldn't know about the ordeal it was to create our masterpiece. You would just see the final outcome, and hopefully smile. Which was the whole point!!! You see, our main goal was to brighten someone's day and bring cheer and spread joy in this hard time. So, even with all the messes that were made, our project was a success!!!
AS ARE YOU!!!!
"I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
"For we are His workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10)
Let's give ourselves grace today, and every day.
Let's do the same for our children, and husbands.
And as we navigate this "new normal," let's embrace all the changes.
Let's CHOOSE to see this extra time "stuck" at home as a whole bunch of opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime.
May we remember to embrace the messes that comes along with them.
And please, for the love of all that is pure and holy, share your mistakes with us.
Post a picture of your heaping pile of laundry.
Tell us the story about your kids crying and yelling and slamming doors.
Give us a peak behind the scenes.
We want the stained glass windows, but we want the splattered walls and ruined carpet too.
We want to know we are not alone in the mess!
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