As a homemaker and a mother to adventurous children, fingerprints are a part of my daily life. They are on my refrigerator, on my dishwasher, on the TV, on the windows, on the mirrors, on the table, on the counters, and on the walls.
It could have something to do with this......
or this....
"Let all things be done decently and in order." I Corinthians 14:40
This verse keeps me grounded. I know that it pertains to "all things", but I like to especially use it as my motto for keeping our home decent and in order! It is very easy for me to slip into wanting the our home spotless at all times...sigh...I love a clean home. BUT!!! This is not possible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Life on a little farm provides many opportunities for dirt to enter our home. Baths happen regularly around here they just don't always happen in clean sparkling water. The kids prefer mud.
I have to remind myself "decent and in order". I have to remind myself to cherish those fingerprints on everything because some day they won't be there (unless I never wash them off ;) ). I sometimes fall victim to setting unrealistic goals for my self. They usually include the words, spotless, squeaky clean, you can eat off the floor, everyone's wearing stain free clothing etc. All of which are not true since I became a mother 11 years ago.
I am so thankful for the words "decent and in order" because it calms me right down. It has taught me to relax. Not to lower my standards, but to relax and to enjoy the reasons why the dirt is on my floor in the first place! This verse helps me to find a healthy balance in keeping home. The kids and I hold discussions on this verse from time to time and it has helped them to see the importance of having a home that is neat and orderly, where they are free to make a mess and be kids, and also learn how to clean up when finished. Although we are still working on what the definition of "clean" is.:) We have different opinions.
Time goes so fast, so at this point in motherhood I will cherish the fingerprints that I find around the house. I am so happy their fingerprints are there. They are the children's gift to me. Every time I see their fingerprints they remind me that they belong to happy and healthy kids doing what they love to do most, play. They remind me of how blessed I am to have fingerprints decorating my home.
And thank you Jesus for keeping it simple for me and setting a goal that's attainable for mothers trying to raise happy children and keep a clean home at the same time- "decent and in order".
Here is a silly little poem I wrote for my children, which I will hopefully have hanging very soon on my wall next to their fingerprints.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints adorn my walls,
Up the stairs and down the halls.
Some are here and some are there,
Mostly though, they're every where.
Fingerprints as you can see,
tell of one's identity.
Telling a story, willing to share,
Just like the ones who put them there.
Shades of brown, flow up and down,
This natural paint comes from the ground.
It allows expression and free flow,
It lends itself to those on the go.
Don't wash them off, oh no, oh never!
For those prints won't last forever.
Cherish them as works of art,
Knowing they come from the heart.
So leave them there, and don't despair,
A budding artist left them there.
Love,
Mommy
To mothers every where, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!
And may you be blessed with fingerprints all over your walls!!!
What a great poem! I think all mothers struggle with fingerprints, and other messes that kids leave behind them. You're right though, someday we'll all wish that we had those messes back!
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