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I admit that when I run up against a moment that God has clearly been trying to prepare me for, I often heave a deep sigh and lament, “Oh. So … that’s what you meant.”
This was the case this past weekend, when I realized, too late, that the Lord was giving me a chance to really exercise peace in my circumstances, no matter what they were. Just the evening before, I had drifted to sleep patting myself on the back for having navigated a day that charged out of the gate with no desire to meet a single expectation that I had conjured. I had conquered cranky kids who had rolled out of bed far too early, an achy teenager who seemed to be fighting off a bug, my own empty tank after a week of my husband being away, and take two of a grocery shopping trip that had been aborted the day before due to intense weather.
I had finally gotten my hands on a physical copy of Sarah Makenzie’s Teaching from Rest that day after long coveting a non-digital version. What stuck with me as I ended my day was this:
Surrender your idea of what the ideal homeschool day is supposed to look like and take on, with both hands, the day that is. —Sarah Mackenzie, Teaching from Rest
Yes, I sighed happily. I did it, Lord! Thank you!
The next morning, of course, the world exploded.
As we’ve progressed from “family” to “bigger family” to “large family,” my fear of certain routine events has magnified. The scale of “inconvenient” becomes much more pressing when you’re looking at multiplying a situation by four, or six, or nine. When we encountered chicken pox, for example, I steeled myself for a breakout of epic proportions. (Only three children ended up infected.) The word “cavity” takes my breath away, though we’ve been blessed to defy the odds and have only had two fillings necessary in 19 years of parenting. But the thing that has scared me the most, for years now? Lice.
Which is precisely why the Lord chose it to test my resolve to live in rest, I’m sure.
The minute I saw the email stating that a family at co-op had been horrified to discover — after classes — that they were carrying lice, I groaned. Oh, no. No. No. Not that, Lord. Really? Really.
My day was supposed to involve finalizing packing details for a road trip to visit friends in Virginia. My day was supposed to be spent baking a few treats to bring with us. My day was supposed to be spent loading the van. My day was supposed to be spent looking for the perfect historic location to host our picnic lunch en route.
Instead, the day God had planned for me involved the smell of melaleuca, sealing couch pillows in plastic bags to be stored in the garage, and humbly asking the clerk at Walgreens where one might find a nit comb.
After the first round of checking, combing, and shampooing, I held out hope that just that one child, just that one little louse, would be unsettling my plans. When I hit the third affected head, I realized that I needed to admit that this had the potential to spiral well out of control and take drastic measures. I pulled out the electric razor. They were all boys, after all. The wisest thing to do is nip this, here, now.
Shaving the first two was barely a blip on the radar. They keep their hair nearly that short anyhow, so call it an early summer cut complete with a lovely tea tree oil wash and move on. But the third? The thick, beautiful mop of my John Mark? I cried as the nearly black waves hit the floor. Then I recalled the photos of the friends of my children who have been bald not because of silly bugs populating their scalp, but because of cancer cells or brain tumors or car accidents, and I repented of my vanity and was finally able to accept my reality. OK, Lord. This is the day you have served up. I will consider it pure joy…lice and all.
We are, however, meant to recognize every facet of our day as coming from the hand of God. It all passes through His fingers first, and He uses it to make sure we lean hard on Him. —Sarah Mackenzie, Teaching from Rest
The day I had planned involved preparations for the next thing, the thing I was working toward. The day God had planned looked more like laundry (epic laundry), picking over each child’s scalp, and laughing that of course Daddyman was out of the country while we got to enjoy LouseFest 2016.
I should have fallen into bed exhausted, drained, and dejected. I had been looking forward to the trip to Virginia for weeks, and my cup of Momma Time was well in need of a filling. I had been doing laundry, bathing kids, and cleaning frantically since 6:30 in the morning. And yet, at the end of the long day, I felt quiet and thankful. The battle of eradicating the lice had only just begun, yes. My husband wasn’t due home for nearly another week. But God was not only present in my moments, He was crafting them. He was working to bring me to a place of seeing Him in every detail, in every happy circumstance, and every trial…even lice.
Love you, friend. We will see you soon. Praying it is contained the first go round.
Oh Heather! I so feel for you! This is not something I have had to face in my home…yet! But every time a letter comes homes from school with the dreaded notification of lice in one of my kids classes, I groan and hold my breath! I used to be a TA at my parents small Christian school and some how I became the designated “Head Checker” : ) And because of my experience with those nasty little buggers I’ve helped friends a time or two when they’ve been hit! But even still the thought of having to face it in my own home make me want to take a nap for the rest of the year! So good job Mama!! Hang in there…keep fighting the good fight : )