Chaos? Oh, I’ve got your chaos alright! (I dare you to try to make it through that 4 minute video without shaking your head and mumbling something about your nerves.)
Maybe I should title this “3 Moms Keep Their Patience” because this here mom has the kind of patience that comes and goes. Waxes and wanes. It’s not so much that I keep my patience as it is that I entertain it. It stays for a while and then excuses itself until I see it again some time later.
I strive to be patient because I know that “Love is patient.” I love my children dearly, but I confess that I am not always patient with them the way I intend to be.
And I really do intend it. I wake up each morning and set my sites on patience. I tell myself that there will be moments of chaos, and I will be patient through those. The trouble is that I don’t always do what I set out to do.
“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7: 19-20
When this happens, I must take a deep breath and repent. I ask God to forgive me and give me strength and endurance to manage a large household with love and patience. Then I apologize to my children and I try again.
I am only able to really be patient when I remember my one long term goal: To glorify God.
If my goal is to glorify God, then being late for church is not worth getting upset about. Kids losing shoes, spilling milk, forgetting they are potty trained, squabbling, whining, or all manner of annoying behavior can not get in the way of my number one goal of glorifying God.
I can use each of those scenarios as an opportunity to show loving kindness and patience to my children, and in the process bring glory to God.
These things are so easy to write, but oh so difficult to master, mostly because Satan is a jerk and wants me to get caught up in the chaos and forget about my goal.
If I keep my eyes on eternity, I remember that my goal, to glorify God, is more important than an entire gallon of spilled milk.
Now, run over to the rest of The 4 Moms with me and let’s find out how they keep their patience in the midst of chaos:
Other posts in this series
- How to Easily Cut Homemade Bread
- The 4 Moms Head to Church With 35 Kids
- 4 Moms Answer Reader Questions
- 4 Moms Teach History
- 4 Moms Eat Inexpensively While Traveling
- How To Keep Kids Still and Quiet During Worship
- 4 Moms Answer Reader Questions
- 4 Moms Reveal Where Babies Come From
- Summertime Company Meals
- How to Lose Baby Weight
- Large Family Moms Answer Your Questions
- 4 Moms Choose a Church
- Favorite Naptime or Bedtime Read Aloud Books
- Homeschooling a Child With Learning Differences
- 4 Moms Picnic Linky
- 4 Moms Announce a Book Club!
- Teaching Children Diligence
- 4 Moms Discuss Lunch Menus {Linky}
- 4 Moms Interview Kim Brenneman, Author of Large Family Logistics
- 4 Moms Discuss "Large Family Logistics"
- 4 Moms Discuss Managing the Week ~ Large Family Logistics
- 4 Moms Review Chapters 28 - 47 in Large Family Logistics
- 4 Moms Finish Reviewing "Large Family Logistics"
- The 4 Moms Keep Our Patience in the Midst of Chaos
- 4 Moms Pack a Lunch
- 4 Moms Discuss Memorizing {and 2 GIVEAWAYS}
- Keeping Up With Housework in the Midst of Homeschooling
- 4 Moms Tackle Large Projects
- 4 Moms Q & A
- Food Storage For Large Families
- Best Vehicle For a Large Family
- 4 Moms Celebrate Thanksgiving
- Preparing Children to Deal With Differing Beliefs
- Favorite Holiday Recipe {Linky}
- 4 Moms of 35 Kids Go Christmas Shopping
- 4 Moms of 35 Kids Answer Reader Questions
- How Do You Organize ALL Those Clothes?
- 4 Moms Q&A
- Encouragement For Homeschoolers
- 4 Moms Share Favorite Desserts
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Questions
- 4 Moms Discuss Storing Keepsakes
- Ebook SALE! {Goes Live at 11:00a.m. CST}
- 4 Moms Answer Questions From Readers
- 4 Moms Make Time to Manage the Budget
- 4 Moms Manage Blogging Time
- What Do Large Families Do About Tithing, Saving for College, and Saving for Retirement?
- 4 Moms Q&A Time
- Large Family Moms Homeschool Through Chronic Illness and Pregnancy
- Large Family Moms Serve Leftovers
- Favorite Frugal Tips of Large Family Moms
- How Do Large Family Moms Manage Everything? {4 Moms Q&A}
- Homeschooling Through Bad Attitudes
- Teaching Children to Cook
- How Did Large Family Moms Know They Could Handle a Large Family?
- How Do Large Family Moms Keep Their Energy Up?
- Favorite Freezer Meals
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Discuss Dating and Courtship
- How Do You Manage the Home While Nursing a Baby?
- How to Begin Homeschooling With a 5 Year Old
- How Do Large Families Handle Older Children Disciplining the Younger Children?
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Reader Questions
- What To Do About Tattling
- Favorite Fruit Recipes {LINKY}
- 4 Moms Discuss First Weeks With a New Baby
- 4 Moms Answer Questions About Sharing, Boys, College, and MORE!
- 4 Moms Handle Different Standards Between Husband and Wife
- Kids and Electronics - What Age and How Much is Too Much? {4 Moms}
- 4 Moms Discuss Food Preservation
- 4 Moms Discuss Laundry, Labor, and Clothes Management
- Large Families Keep Up With Technology
- Giving Food as Gifts
- 4 Moms Answer Questions About Christmas
- Quick and Easy Christmas Crafts
- Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Questions on Preschool, Homeschooling with a Newborn, and More
- On Encouraging Self Sufficiency in Children
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Questions
- 4 Moms Answer Reader Questions
- 4 Moms Talk Buddy System, Dinner Recipes, Hand-Me-Downs, and Sharing
- 4 Moms Q&A - Birthdays, Switching Seasonal Clothes, and Grieving a Stillborn Baby
- 4 Moms Discuss Difficult News Stories, Naptime, and Sleeping Through the Night
- 4 Moms Answer Questions About Personal Space, 15 Passenger Vans, and Dawdling
- 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Questions About Seating Arrangements, Snacks, and Books
- 4 Moms Answer Questions About Sharing, Church, and Extreme Honesty
{ 7 comments }
Loved this honest post! I am right there! I desire to be patient but loose it WAY too often!! Learning patience and grace… LEARNING!!
Wow. I could have written just about every word of that myself. “Entertaining patience”–I’ll have to remember that…that’s good.
Thanks for this post, Connie! “To glorify God” must be central in our thinking.
I’ve had trouble with patience once or twice in my life too (ahem) – that’s one of the side benefits of God blessing us with lots of children, right?? We have lots of opportunities to work on our patience!
Patience is a goal that is rarely attained I think it’s one of those things that once you think you have it God shows you how to improve it! Thanks for your thoughts! I added a 5th mom and one more kid with my thoughts on my blog go ahead and see what you think!
Yeah, just two little boys so far, and plenty of opportunities to work on growing patience around here. Thanks for your advice, I still have a long way to go in a lot of areas.
By the way thanks for blogging and sharing what God has taught you about being a mother over the years. I have found it hard to find many women willing to teach the younger women in the faith in real life and have been blessed by discover some online.
I’m loving these patience posts! Five little boys here, ages 6 and under, and one mama with a severe patience deficiency. I could reeeally use some tips! Thanks for the refreshing post!
Thanks so much for sharing that. I definitely needed to hear it. I am the mom of 4 littles, 4 and under…chaos runs rampant in our home. It is a struggle to display the fruit of the Spirit in those times. The flesh and the Spirit are truly at war. Hopefully, by God’s grace, I will remember my goal…to glorify God, no matter the circumstances.
I along with many others am thanking God for providing your husband with work!
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