Talking Point Tuesday

Sunday morning was going along much the same as always. Roger was fighting over the shower with Kylie, Kara was yelling at Kelsea for trying to wear one of her headbands to church, Kian was running around in his underwear swinging a sword, and I was trying to locate as many "distractions" as I could to pile into the tote that we take into church service each week to keep our five year old from crawling under the pews. I happened to glance at the calendar in the midst of the madness and saw that it was chock full of activities for the following week. In fact, there was more ink than blank space on each of those little numbered squares. I remember thinking to myself, "What an awful week this is going to be! How am I ever going to survive with my sanity intact?"

We got in the car and headed to church. Our Sunday School class was discussing Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 is a familiar chapter to most Christians. I had studied it before and knew what it said, even memorized several verses. But when we got to verses 37-39, I was struck anew by their meaning.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When I thought about this promise in the past, it was usually in the sense of God being there for the absolute best and the absolute worst. But as I sat there Sunday morning remembering my anxiety and grumpiness about the week ahead, I came to realize that this verse implies something more: that if God is there for every high and low.....certainly He is also there for the stress of the everyday. Sometimes I forget that. I thank Him when something goes well, and I call on Him for help when I'm facing a big issue. But simply looking at next week's schedule of driving kids here, there, and everywhere overwhelms me. If I can trust Him in the big things, surely I can trust Him in the daily, sometimes mundane, often exhausting, tasks of life.

So I decided to rewrite Romans 8:37-39. Tweak it just a bit, you might say.

37 No, in all the activities of motherhood and homemaking we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither lost homework nor unwashed p.e. clothes, neither orthodontist appointments nor soccer practices, neither dirty dishes nor an overflowing toilet, nor a 15 year old at the wheel of your car, 39 neither shuttling kids to multiple friends' homes, nor missing shin guards, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

My new version helps me put things into a little better perspective. I think God would approve.