Monday, May 20, 2013

Better Than A Hallelujah

Today Annie:

  • Ate dog food ("I'm hungry!")
  • Spread ashes from out outside fireplace all over the patio and patio furniture ("I was making cupcakes, Mommy!")
  • Peed her pants and proceeded to put the wet clothes on her bed pillow ("I was playing outside and didn't make it to the potty!")
  • Stepped in dog poop and proceeded to rub it on her hands, and then, in her hair. ("I was trying to get it off!")


No, this was not an entire day's worth of disasters.  This was all while I was trying to cook dinner. (Par for the course, I must say, with Annie, this is how much of our days go.) And if you know Annie, then you will understand that each of these things happened in a split second when I was stirring something or looking away for only a moment.  The dog poop incident, was the last in this series of unforgettable evens, and about did me in.  I turned off the BBQ and the stove burners, and brought her upstairs to shower.  I know my frustration, stress, and irritation were evident, although I was holding back and doing my best to hand out a healthy dose of "we don't do this sort of thing" so she would learn, while attempting to season it with some grace.

And as I am washing her hair, Annie begins to sing the words, "Better than a hallelujah."  God speaks through little ones.

Even little ones with dog poop in their hair.

This song sung by Amy Grant is one of my favorites, and came out a few years ago, around the time of my last miscarriage.  I remember hearing it and weeping in my grief.  Part of the lyrics are, "We pour out our misery, God just hears a melody.  Beautiful the mess we are, honest cries of breaking hearts, better than a hallelujah.  Better than a church bell ringing, better than a choir singing out...." To be reminded that God could take my fear, my sadness, my aching for more children, and turn it into a melody.....beautiful.

And He did - He brought me these two amazing girls, including the one I am frustratedly scrubbing down in the moment.

Instantly I softened, tears in my eyes, and said, "Yes, Annie, that's right." As I looked in her eyes and fell in love with her even more than I already am,  I heard the Holy Spirit whisper Romans 12:1 "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  This is your spiritual act of worship."

Convicting and comforting all at the same time, I was instantly brought back to the moment I first heard that song and wept with a broken heart over our lost baby, and became even more grateful for our precious little girls.  Then I was convicted that in the moments of poop and pee and dog food eating today, I wasn't parenting as an act of worship.  And then I was comforted, as the Spirit again spoke to me and said, "I know how hard this is, I understand, and yes, adopting and parenting this beautiful girl,  in the midst of the sassing and messes and struggles, is your act of worshipping me, is better than a hallelujah."

Tomorrow will probably hold the same kind of stresses that today held.  Messes to clean up, sassing to deal with, Annie's amazing whirlwind of activity and energy, but tomorrow, I will be singing, "Better than a Hallelujah" and offering up this beautiful mess of our lives as my sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.


5 comments:

  1. What a day.
    Just wanted to encourage you to keep up the good fight, and thank you for sharing your act of service and thoughts about parenting/worship. I was very touched by your post tonight.

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  2. Love this sister! You are an incredible Mommy and the girls are so very blessed to have you! Keep it up!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Sooo glad we are parenting littles together!

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  3. Love you guys and the incredible hearts you have!

    http://janiceperson.com

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