What's the Distraction?

I got a call from my friend from MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this morning asking if I had anything written I could email over for our newsletter tomorrow...so here I sit.  Thankful to get a loving kick to begin blogging again after the birth of our precious new baby boy, Jude. 

Miss y'all so!

Have you seen the show 19 Kids and Counting?  My oh my, if you live on Mars or don't have cable, it's a show circled around the Duggar family (from Arkansas, of course, my home front!) who has 19, yes, 19 children in the family.  Matriarch Michelle Duggar manages her home and her children with such grace and organization- and always seems to somehow have a smile on her face.  She is simply beautiful, y'all.

I think I caught a glimpse into how she stays not only sane, but joyful, from a sidebar comment she made one episode.  She and her husband were sitting at the table together pouring over the second book they were in the middle of writing (ah hum, yes, the 2nd book, plus 19 kids), and as one of her toddlers crawled up to give mommy a hug, she looked at the camera and said something to the effect of:

This book is such a distraction from my children, and not the other way around....

Wow.  It really made me tap my temple and think.  What are the real distractions Lord!? 

Seriously, how often do we get frustrated when our precious kids "get in the way" of getting laundry done?  How often do we get ruffled when a call from a friend in need comes in the middle our grocery store trip?  (Let's be honest) What about when a co-worker or neighbor leaves us with subtle cues that he or she could use a little Jesus- and we turn the other way because we are "too busy" to engage?

Check out what Jesus says in Matthew 25: 35-40, seriously, wow.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
 
 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Oh my.  Do you get this?!

When we give our babies something to drink, when we bring a meal to a friend, when we invite a new friend over for supper...we literally do for our Jesus who has done everything for us.

Laundry, ministry, paperwork, groceries, car repair...yada and so on... are important, yes, don't I know it, as each calls, neigh, screams my name daily.  But it's really all about people, people.

Don't think it will hurt my dirty car's feelings if it has to wait an hour to be vacuumed, while I make googly eyes with my baby boy.  Or if the magically growing pile of whites gets an eye roll for not folding itself as I color with my daughter.  Pretty sure my groceries will still make it in the cart if I pause for a moment to say "excuse me" with a smile rather than practically plow down the lady in front of me.  You get the idea.

One way I think Mrs. Duggar is able to manage so well: she seems clear about what's a distraction and what's not.  Lord would you be so gracious to show us what is distracting us today?

And now I must go, as this is beginning to distract me from watching Curious George and cuddling with my kids...