i think i'm still recovering from our crazy weekend. friday afternoon i found out we were housing 5 high school guys from georgia on saturday night. this wouldn't have been a big deal, except it just added to the chaos of what was about to come.
the Lord definitely continues to humble me when it comes to hospitality or just having people in our home. my pride always kicks in and wants everything to be perfect, which i KNOW is not reality. however, it is always my goal, but wouldn't you know never happens. i want the house to be spotless (but with 3 little boys is nearly impossible); i want the food to be amazing; i want our kids to behave like angels, etc. i know this is not reality nor should it be. i want our home to be a picture of the gospel...desperate sinners in need of God's grace...not perfection. how can i truly serve and be hospitable if i'm consumed with what people think of me? if i'm constantly worrying about the house or what spectacular meal i can make, i'm giving into my pride and fear of man. i obviously want men to praise
me and not the Lord! i pray that the Lord will continue to change my prideful heart into a servant's heart.
it is obviously my pride that causes me to become overwhelmed at the thought of last minute guests, or having different groups of people over for lunch
and dinner the very next day...which is what happened this past sunday. i finally had to humble myself and realize that i couldn't do it all...and that was okay. it did not have to be perfect, and by golly it was not. the house was not spotless, but we had a wonderful time of fellowship anyway. i didn't spend hours ahead of time preparing delicious gourmet meals, but the food was good anyway. the boys did not behave perfectly, but everyone enjoyed them anyway. my family is not perfect, which is why we need Christ! i love it when our crazy circumstances can always bring me back to the gospel and remind me of why Christ died. Thank you, Lord, for showing me my sin so that i never forget my need for you!!
the weekend started off with a good schedule of grocery shopping, yard work, and swimming in our little pools. by saturday night i was still trying to catch up on housework and last minute lunch preparations. there was a church choir tour traveling through montgomery and singing at our church sunday morning, so we had 5 9th grade guys sleeping all over our living room, family room, and guest room on saturday night.
hudson and henry woke up bright and early sunday morning at 5:30. we tried to get them to fall back asleep or at least stay in bed for a good while. we didn't want them waking up the guys on the other side of the house. finally brian and the boys ventured into the kitchen for a quiet breakfast. i came out a little while later to make pancakes while the guys were all waking up. we also had yummy sausage rolls and fruit. one of the guys was wearing an orange shirt, and henry continued to refer to him as the "orange guy." "where did 'orange guy' go?" he would ask over and over. we would try and tell him his name, but it was no use. "orange guy" was the name. "his name is brandon," we would say. "garrison?" henry would ask. "no. brandon," we replied. "wheat thin?" henry would ask. "no, brandon." he could not remember it, so "orange guy" it was!
brian took the guys to sunday school while i stayed back with our boys to try and clean the hall bathroom for a second time (it was obviously a gross mess after that many guys), and get everything in order for the lunch, plus change a couple of diapers, resolve a few arguments, and then meet brian at a different church in montgomery where he was preaching that morning. right before we left, which we were running late by the way, i glanced in the guest room, and someone had left an ipod and towel. after working out how to get it to their group leaders, we raced to our church to drop it off on the way to the other church where brian was preaching. after the service (in which brian did a great job preaching, i must say), we headed home to get ready for the madness. brian was having his senior high sunday school class over for lunch and to talk more about eschatology, which is what they have been studying this quarter. we (brian) grilled out hamburgers, and we had corn casserole (thanks to trisha's delicious recipe), baked beans, potato salad, fresh watermelon and pineapple, chips, and a chocolate fudge brownie trifle for dessert. thankfully i had sweet girls to help me with my boys during lunch. jordan even helped me put them down for naps. everyone left around 3pm. sweet abby morrison offered to stay and help me clean the kitchen, so we were able to visit and catch up, too. she is an amazing girl and i always enjoy talking with her.
now by this time i was already exhausted, but we still had a dinner to get ready for. there was no point in cleaning the kitchen floor, since they were about to get dirtier, but i must say, my OCD was making it hard for me to not want to mop them. i made a couple of easy desserts while the boys were still napping...i'm so glad they took long naps! they rest of the evening was a bit chaotic as usual with the boys, especially since we were trying to get ready for the next group. our evening service was at 6, and then fellowship right after. brian offered to take the boys to church with him, so i could do a few last minute things before everyone came over. i was so grateful! however, to make it a little more complicated, brian's car was still at the church, so we all piled in the van. i dropped the boys off in the nursery, while brian was filling up chests with ice for later that night. i then took his car home, while he stayed at church. by this time, i had about 30 minutes at home to do a few things before i had to pick up the pizza (thank the Lord for Papa John's), and then the rest of the crew showed up.
we had a great time...the boys, too. they were in heaven all day long! they love having people over, which really puts things in perspective for me! we set up a volleyball net in our backyard, so we had games going on all night!! we ate pizza, salad, chips, brownies, rice krispie treats, and no bake cookies. a teenager's favorite meal! brian and i have had more pizza in the past 8 years than probably any other meal...a youth group staple! :) there was also a time of singing, in which hudson and henry played along. because it is now summer, the night never ended. kids hung out until almost 11pm! and then my cleaning began...it felt so good to finally mop that kitchen floor!
needless to say, it was probably one of my busiest and longest days ever, and sundays are already stressful enough as it is!! so that is why i am still recovering.
so now the next time we have someone over for lunch or dinner or dessert, i will try and remember this day...it will be a piece of cake compared to this past weekend. and i will, Lord willing, continue to remind myself that it's not about me but about serving and loving others. Lord, please keep convicting me of my pride and selfishness. thank you that you love me, despite my wretched sin!
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