They're Tired. (But God isn't!)

They're tired. They're tired. They're tired.

This statement has been my mantra for the past few hours.

My mother-in-law came to Lansing yesterday, rented a room in a hotel with an indoor pool, and took my kids overnight. They swam all afternoon and evening yesterday, stayed up late with Grandma, got up and swam some more this morning, then came home for Joshua's "family birthday party." My mother-in-law warned us when she brought them back that they'd need to go to bed early tonight.
Everyone made it through the day OK. The kids and I went shopping for about an hour this afternoon, and they were quite well-behaved for our trip. However, when we got home and I was making dinner, well let's say I came to agree that bed time would be early tonight.
When I made the declaration about bedtime, Elizabeth said, "Good. I want to go to bed early tonight." Hmmmm, that was easy. But Matthew started crying and protested (read with a whiny tone), "But I'm not tired!!!" Right, and you'll probably jump out of bed and hug me when I wake you up for school tomorrow. As we moved through complaining about getting the table set for dinner, settling down to eat, and coming to an agreement that a small serving of cake and ice cream was adequate for dessert, since they also had cake and ice cream after lunch, I continued my mantra. They're tired. They're tired. They're tired.
Reminding myself about their condition really did help me not get so upset with them. They're behavior was annoying, but I tried to extend grace because their little bodies were tired, and I looked forward to the peace that would come (to all of us!) when they were asleep.

Ahhh, yes. Peace like my husband and I had yesterday. After my mother-in-law left with the kids, Brian and I cleaned the house. And it stayed clean for hours! Then we had a quiet dinner and enjoyed uninterrupted conversation with each other. Our small group came over in the evening and we talked together and prayed without the usual thump, thump of the boys jumping out of bed, or the frequent calls of, "Mom! Matthew's out of bed!" Yes, it was so peaceful here yesterday and last night!
As I enjoyed my brief hiatus from motherhood, I also realized the wonder of God's perfect love and unfailing patience. While I was cherishing the moments that my mother-in-law had my kids, I considered the wonderful truth that God never gets tired of me. God never says to Himself, "Oh, it would be so nice if someone would take Karen away from me for just a night, so I could enjoy some peace and quiet." And this is true for you, too, you know? He never wants to get away from you for just a little while. He never tires of hearing you ask for help. He never wishes you would stop needing Him.
Rather, He rejoices over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) He loves you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) And He will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) How wonderful is that???