One More Time

For some reason my mind recently flashed back to a time when I still had children in diapers. I remember when Angela was born and Olivia still wasn’t quite potty trained. I’d had every intention of potty training Olivia before her sister came along, but it just didn’t take. She was very slow to grasp the concept. So, I had two baby girls in diapers. I remember feeling as if I changed diapers constantly! Angela was fully potty trained before Steven came along,but I still recall a few times when I felt completely overwhelmed by diapers.

They never ended!

There were days when I felt as if I would scream if I had to change one more diaper. I just couldn’t handle it. Ask me to do anything else – just please, change the diapers for me!

There are many things in life that can fall in that same category. Some are practical, daily chores that must be continually accomplished, but never seem completed.

Dishes.

Laundry.

Cooking.

But there are others that aren’t nearly so black and white.

Having patience.

Trusting.

Rejoicing in all circumstances.

Some days those less tangible activities seem to be never ending. Our patience is tried too many times in one day. Yet one more trial hits us before any of the others are resolved, and we find our faith and trust beginning to unravel. The tears, anger, and frustration pile up so greatly that there seems to be no possible way to rejoice.

We feel as if we will fall apart if we are told one more time to wait, have faith, or offer praise.

No matter how crazy the diapers made me, I always changed that next one. I definitely rejoiced when the last diaper was changed for the last time, but I never stopped changing them until my babies stopped needing them. I have even changed other babies’ diapers since that time. And, no matter how tired of it all I am, I will continue to wash those dishes and do that laundry and cook those meals. Over and over and over again. Sometimes joyfully, sometimes not so much. But I’ll keep doing it because that’s what has to be done.

Our spiritual lives are no different. Walking through the day to day may make us feel as if we’re going crazy, but we cannot stop. We might have to let out that scream now and then, but we must keep going. One diaper at a time. One step at a time.