New Mercies.

At the start of the new year, I decided to change up my Bible reading a little bit and switched to Bible writing. I enjoy variety and after reading through the Bible two years in a row, I decided I needed to come at it from a new direction.

Lately I've been writing the book of Galatians and I've been enjoying that quite a bit. Hands down, the Apostle Paul is my favorite Bible character (besides Jesus, of course). As I finished out chapter 4 of Galatians, I was captivated by what he had to say in the last verse: 

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

Simple verse, but it stopped me in my tracks. You see, the start of my Saturday morning was awful. I jumped out of bed at 6:05, intent on a nice cup of iced coffee and my Bible, and by 6:07 I heard Paul's bedroom door opening. I darted up the stairs and found a smiling little boy, ready to start his day. The problem was I wasn't ready for him to start his day! I hoped to get him settled in for a nice, long breakfast by filling his cereal bowl to the top, but instead I was keeping track of just how many milk drops were falling on my freshly-cleaned floor.

Mere minutes later, Nat came down with a smiling Ellie. Apparently my kids didn't get the memo that Saturdays are always our sleep-in day. Hrumph. I offered some coffee to Nat, but he opted to take a shower instead. When he was finished, we switched places. Of course me going to take a shower really means I grab the two baskets of folded laundry that never got put away last night, I quick make the bed, straighten up Ellie's pack-n-play, readjust the position of the fan that got moved yesterday when my cleaning lady was here, take the mosquito racket off the charger, and then go take a shower.

After my shower, I take the laundry basket of towels and go outside to start the load of wash. Glancing around the patio, I see the jump rope was left out, as well as strollers and a soccer ball haphazardly strewn across the patio. Returning inside, I find more food on the floor -- Ellie was chewing her way through a pineapple spear and it must've slipped from her hand -- as well as more milk and cornflakes. Inwardly I feel like crying. Where did my quiet morning go? I had such good intentions to start my day off with the Lord, but my day took off without me!

Nat and I both finally had (made!!) time to spend with the Lord and that's when I came to the verse I mentioned earlier:

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

Why was I living my day out as if I was a child of the bond woman, enslaved and of the flesh? Ok, so I had a less-than-stellar start to the day. My attitude was slipping down a grumpy slide and I was starting to take it out on my family. But the fact that I am a child of the King should stop my grumblings and complainings, and instead keep things in perspective. It's just one day. And you know what? Even if my kids wake up every morning at 6:10, I still need to make that choice to rejoice. In everything. 

What a balm to my soul that His mercies are new... Every single morning.