I stepped in poop the other day.
I was changing Elle and reached to drop the diaper in the Genie when plop. . . it dropped out of the diaper onto the floor. Holding her with one hand, I reached with a wipe and my floot slid. . .
right into the poop.
Right between my toes.
She had eaten corn the day before. . . (enough said).
I was holding poop in one hand. Standing in poop. Corn on my big toe. Trying to hold a poopy child to keep her from rolling off the changing table.
Have you ever felt like you’re just mired in. . . poop?
I’m reading a great devotional for mom’s this morning. Ann Voskamp and Renee Swope and others are sharing their nitty gritty mom moments in Susan Wallace’s book, Always There: Reflections for Moms on God’s Presence.
What I love about this book is that it shows how God can show up in those poopy moments, in the mundane, when we need a shower, when the laundry is spilling over, when the clock says it’s nearly afternoon and you’ve worked nonstop but can’t see the results.
Because moms need that encouragement. God’s presence is always there when we need it most.
As we nurture, pour out, love, teach, He’s right with us because we are His girl.
As you clean up that mess. . . again, He shows you the joy in the routine.
As you soothe that crying child, He soothes His girl.
As you teach your child who threw the block at his sister, or the teen who wants his freedom but doesn’t have the maturity yet, He teaches you the power of self-control, of spiritual insight, of peace that has nothing to do with the immediate.
Having a poopy day?
God is there with you in the midst of it. Fully invite Him in to the mess. Let Him nurture you as you pour into the beautiful, messy, challenging role of motherhood.
Join us at Moms Together where I am interviewing Susan Wallace and Revell Publishers is giving away three copies of her book to three lucky MT moms!
You know being a Momma is the toughest job we’ll ever love. I think that I should be strong enough to handle the “little stuff” and save my calls for help and reinforcement from GOD for the “big things” in life. However, those relentless “little things” that hit day after day can take its toll too. I am gently humbled in GOD’s love when I realize that before I was Wife, before I was Momma, I was GOD’s Child, and I am still GOD’s Child in need of my Holy Parent’s help with both the big things and little things in life. I have to remember that I am not a burden to GOD, and that He delights in helping me even with the “little stuff”. ♥ Anissa
Had a similar poopy moment! I am writing on my dry erase board that “I am not alone”…. Maybe this will serve as a constant reminder!
Thanks for this…i needed to read it as i’m on my way to clean up literally poopy mess here. My21month old is just starting potty-training and takes off diapers whenever you’re not looking, so I’m cleaning up poopy way too often in my opinion, these days lol
A couple of months ago I had a “poopy” day at the park with my 2 little ones. My 3-year-old son had just told me he needed to potty, so I was attempting to quickly grab our bags, my cranky 1-year-old daughter, and make it over to the bathroom in time (my son has a tendency to wait until the very last second to tell me he needs to potty – I guess he just can’t tear himself away from all the fun)! Right when I get everything together, I hear another mother say, “Uhh, he’s peeing.” I thought, “Great.” Then I hear, “…and there’s poop, too!” Ahhh! I was sooo embarassed! I had to pick his mess up with a wipe and throw it in the trash as all the other kids are staring at my half-naked boy, and all the other parents are thinking, “Glad it’s not my kid!” Luckily, they were also very understanding and the whole ordeal was over as quickly as it had happened. I calmly explained to my little guy why that was inappropriate and how to avoid it next time by not waiting until it’s too late, then everyone went back to playing! Motherhood is definitely NOT glamorous at times, but it sure is an exciting roller coaster of a gift I wouldn’t trade for anything 🙂
I had a potty experience just a couple of weekends ago. Even though I already potty trained one child I thought I would try something new with my youngest. I tried staying home with her all day and just letting her wear panties. At the end of a very long day of laundry and cleaning up pee on the carpet, etc she was standing in the foyer playing. I noticed she was in a pee puddle so I was walked towards her to get her and she went to run. She slipped and fell in the pee. She was now covered in pee and bleeding from her month. Needless to say I was at the end of my patience and she went back into diapers for the evening.
Edwina Williams is the winner of Always There. Send your snail mail address to tseller@daretobelieve.org.