It would have been okay if.....

On Saturday morning I had a lie-in and when I finally surfaced I heard hubby shouting to ask if I could run the bath as our youngest had a seriously leaking nappy! Oh the joys!

After the 'incident' had been cleaned up and I asked how their morning had been hubby commented "it would have been okay if he hadn't pooed"!

I decided that the phrase "it would have been okay if..." just about sums up parenting.

For me last week, the week would have been okay if the boys hadn't been ill with colds and therefore fairly grumpy and testing a lot of the time. Friday in particular would have been okay if my youngest had had a proper lunchtime nap rather than waking up after an hour tired and fed-up but unwilling to sleep again. The rest of the afternoon would have been ok if I'd had a chance to put my feet up over lunch time, rather than being grouchy that my 'me-time' had been interrupted. My eldest probably would have been okay in the afternoon if I'd not been really impatient with him because I was so fed-up. 

Eventually, "it would have been okay if..." became "it's really not okay" as 'one of those days' became 'two of those days' which eventually became 'one of those weeks'!

And one thing I realised reflecting on last week was that it would have been okay if I had stopped what I was doing and asked God to help me. Instead, I, for some reason, struggled on, getting more and more tired and more and more impatient. I didn't allow myself the time to stop and feel God's presence with me and didn't think to ask for his spirit to fill me and to help me in my situation. 

I sometimes find it easier to pray for the 'big' things where it is clear that God really needs to work by His power, but I often neglect to pray for the small things that I need God's help with on a daily basis. Last week I forgot that God is there for me in all the daily ups and downs of life. Last week may still have been difficult, but it also might have been a little more okay if I had stopped to pray to God. 

This whole thing reminds me of a beautiful hymn my Grandad used to sing, and this coming week I will be trying to remember its message. 

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.