I can always use help. Many times my Pastor’s daughter will come over and help me by playing with the kids and holding the baby. Tonight, I remember back to one evening…
We had a wonderful time as each child helped prepare our dinner to the best of his or her abilities. We talked about many things, including purpose and self-worth and the importance of what “goes inside us”. We also talked about the spiritual aspect of overeating. I specifically remember saying, “There is only so much a person can take in before that same thing will come out.” Oh… if I could have only known. I chuckle to myself just thinking of the irony.
My kitchen was still in post-mealtime condition (a nice way to say “a complete mess”). Did I mention the kids made dinner? This was no usual kitchen clean-up requirement. Numerous utensils and containers all dirtied. There were various food remnants everywhere. Unfinished meals left standing and ingredients still needing put away. A dishwasher needing to be emptied before it could even be loaded. There was much to do. None the less, I decided to interrupt the tasking cleaning regime to enjoy some silly dancing time with my helper and the kids. I still do not regret it.
Shortly after our dance party my helper was picked up to go home. I left the messy kitchen and bathed my four children. Put my daughter in her bassinet and boys in bed. I turned to tackle the kitchen and heard the sound of my four-year old starting to vomit. He had evidently eaten way too many dried cranberries- and as I had said, “There is only so much a person can take in before that same thing will come out.”
When a child starts vomitting- your “To Do” list quickly changes. I had to convert all attention to cleaning up the mess. Luckily, he was standing on the hard-wood floor and missed any furniture or carpet. I just needed to get him in the tub, his clothes in the washer and the floor cleaned up. I was so grateful the baby had fallen asleep. I did not know how I would have managed to deal with the mess while she was awake.
I had managed to get it cleaned up and get him in bed just in time for the baby (who at the time was not a solid sleeper) to wake up. Now I needed to be on baby duty. The kitchen was still disastrous. I was getting very tired and my daughter was not. It was eleven-o-clock. I was nursing my daughter when I heard the sound of my son starting to vomit again.
I ran in to grab him to try to rush him off his bed and away from his carpeted room but it was too late. His bedding was covered. In the process of quickly grabbing him and rushing him to the potty he had puked all over me, as well as the carpet in his room, the hallway and the bathroom . No… I can’t spare you the details.
I am now faced with a screaming baby who had gotten abruptly interrupted from her meal; a puke covered four-year-old and a house that looked like a puke tornado had touched down through half of it. I was still exhausted… so tired I wanted to cry. One thing was very clear. I knew it was more than I could handle by myself. I desperately needed help.
My choices were few. My family lives nowhere near any of our family. My husband took a job that moved us a minimum of seven hours away from any family that could help. So, I did something completely out of the ordinary for me. I picked up the phone and called the Pastor’s wife of the church we attend. I figured she has always said, “If I ever need help…” and it was obvious that I needed help. I hesitated after all her daughter was just at my house helping me! Yet I humbled myself and called.
She was over with a smile within twenty minutes. She prayed for my son (who never did throw up again). She held the baby while I cleaned. The baby was awake and comforted in her arms the entire time. It took us together a little over an hour to get everything back in order and the baby asleep. Who knows how long it would have taken me by myself. She left and I was able to get the rest I desperately needed. The next morning she sent me a text thanking me for allowing her to be Jesus’ hands and feet. She made sure I knew where my help came from.
I spent the next day reflecting on the situation. I thought about what would have made the clean-up easier and how I could be better prepared for the next occurrence.The trip my husband was on allowed us to have extra income that month.With the approval of my husband (who was still out-of-town), I found and purchased a steam vacuum cleaner (a new helper) as well as a hamper for organizing our laundry (another helper). I placed the hamper by my washer and dryer (two of my greatest helpers), which helped me wash out all my clothes. I was beginning to see the help that had been all around me all along.
My new “helpers” were extremely helpful when my two-year-old started throwing up just two days later. That day Jesus once again provided another set of hands and feet. Minutes before my son started vomiting I happened to be reading the last line of an email from a friend from church and she had written, “If you need me please call.” I had just finished reading her words as my son started to throw up. So amazingly for me, I humbled myself AGAIN and called for help. She arrived quickly with Gatorades, Pedialytes, waters, crackers and applesauce… enough for all my boys. She arrived with nourishment for his body. But her most impressive gift was the beautiful smile she arrived with on her face… not what one would expect from a woman who had lost her job just the day before. It was the “I’ve been there smile.” She too is a mother of four, though hers are grown now. It is always a blessing to be comforted by someone who has been there. I was so impressed with my friend. She could have stayed home, frantically checking employment listings or sulking yet she did no such thing. She was there helping me, trusting that God would help her.
I learned a lot about help that week. Here is what I learned:
God helps LIGHTEN THE LOAD in my hands WITH HANDS (often little ones) all around me. God helps bring PURPOSE to my life THROUGH OPPORTUNITES to share his word. God helps bring JOY to my life THROUGH MUSIC. God helps bring ORDER to my life FROM CHAOS. God helps bring ABILITY into my life THROUGH DISABILING what I cannot handle. God helps me NEED his presence THROUGH allowing me to realize the INSUFFICIENCY of my own. God helps me learn DEPENDANCY on him THROUGH the act of my CALLING on others. God helps COMFORT me and holds me in his arms THROUGH the arms of OTHERS. God helps me in areas needing IMPROVEMENT THROUGH REFLECTION. God helps give me STRENGTH THROUGH the REST he provides.
