It all started with one comment yesterday, this thought process of mine. As Kaleb and I walked out of the Bass Pro Shop yesterday a man in a pickup truck (yes, we live in the midwest!) stopped alongside us and said:
"Someone needs to take a picture of you two. Seriously, you should be in a catalog or something."
I don't know if the man saw us inside of the store or whether he just saw us walking out of it. I'm not sure if he saw Kaleb delight in watching the fish, point at all the stuffed animals, watch in awe water fell from above us into the pond below. Did he see Kaleb make friends at the checkout or wave "bye bye" to the cashier? Not sure. But for illustration purposes let's pretend he did. (Because honestly my first thought was, really? I am sweating in jeans as I carry a 28 pound "baby" through the parking lot with stuff nearly falling out of my diaper bag!)
Our time there was just a small slice of our entire day, you see. Maybe for those thirty minutes I looked like one of those moms who has it all together. Trust me, I don't. He didn't see me drag Kaleb off the stairs seven times in a row and put him in "time out" until he finally obeyed. He wasn't there as I ran around like a crazy lady trying to track down Kaleb's social security number because apparently I am less organized than I realized. Nor did he see the state of my house after digging through everything before I realized I didn't even have it. And, I'm thinking he didn't know that I hadn't even taken a shower for the day.
You see, sometimes we see others and think they have it all together. We see them laughing together, smiling and enjoying themselves, but we don't always see what else they are going through. It is easy to think, "Oh man, I wish I had their obedient children" or "I wish I had their easy life." But, we all have our own struggles. No one has a perfect life.
Did the man who complimented me mean it? Maybe. (Or perhaps he was just hitting on me as my dear husband so kindly pointed out.) Whatever the intention, I am thankful for the reminder to really enjoy the moments when everything just seems right but to also embrace the trying times as I allow God to shape me through them.
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