Early one morning recently, the kids were still in bed and I was up soaking in the morning quiet.
It was a rare peaceful reprieve and I knew that I probably had at least another 30 minutes or an hour before the rest of the house woke up.
There weren’t many pressing to-do’s. I had a calm day. And I was just enjoying reading my Bible, writing in my journal, and planning my day.
In the middle of this bliss, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Sure enough, Silas had gotten up early.
And in typical form, he was ready for breakfast as soon as his feet had touched the floor.
Honestly, I wanted to let out a sigh. This was my quiet time — something I hadn’t had much of recently. And now it had been interrupted earlier than I expected.
Not only that, but Silas needed help. Immediately, he was asking, “Momma, can you make me oatmeal?” “Momma, please can I have a bowl.” “Momma, could you get me a spoon?”
Momma this. Momma that. The requests kept coming and I started to feel frustrated.
And then it was as if I heard a little voice say to me, “Choose love today.”
In that moment, I couldn’t really change the fact that my son was up. I couldn’t really change the fact that he was hungry and needed my help with getting his breakfast. But I could choose my attitude.
I was amazed at what a difference that little phrase made for me. I focused on loving my little boy. I invited him to help me make oatmeal. I smiled at him. I listened to him.
Instead of irritation, frustration, and tension, we started off the morning in a peaceful, happy way.
When your quiet is interrupted and you want to be annoyed, choose love.
When your child needs you over and over again, choose love.
When you want to be frustrated, choose love.
When your toddler asks you the same thing again and again, choose love.
When your 3-year-old spills her juice and the dog knocks over the glass vase, choose love.
When your husband is late from work yet again, choose love.
When your co-worker doesn’t pull their fair share at work, choose love.
When your 10-year-old needs you to stay up and help with their homework when you are tired after a long day, choose love.
When your teenager is struggling over something that feels petty, choose love
When you feel irritation rising up, choose love.
Choose love today.
