Aug 07
26
This Day of Rest is Hard Work
Posted by Stephen26
Tags: children, family, fellowship, rest, Sunday
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Today started just after eight, with Daniel coming into bed to snuggle and chatter as only a three-year-old can. This is your wake-up call. Then it was all hands on deck, action stations. Get up, get some breakfast, get dressed, get the boys breakfast, dress the boys, teeth and toilet for the whole family, pack the bags and out the door to church.
During the service we had to balance concentrating on keeping the kids occupied and quiet, and concentrating on the worship. It’s tricky. I find you can really only do one or the other. But if you don’t do the one, eventually it’s impossible to do the other either.
Then there was the break between services. I had to set up for opening the Sunday School singing, and somebody else wanted to talk to me about arrangements for the afternoon service, and I needed to talk to the visitors that had just walked in because nobody else was talking to them. I barely had time to gulp down some coffee. As it was, Sunday School started five minutes late.
The singing went well, though for some reason today it was hard to keep people focused. Then it was a struggle to keep the kids quiet and in their seats during the announcements. Eventually the children went to their classes and the adults got to settle down for their Bible class. Ah! Finally a moment to relax! Had to concentrate, though. The Bible class was pretty lively.
Time to go home around 12:30, so we hurried to get the boys packed up and in the car. By now they were tired, hungry and fractious. Not at all cooperative. The discussion in the car on the way home centered around what was the quickest lunch we could prepare.
Once home we quickly and smoothly unpacked kids and bags, avoiding most of the arguments, tantrums and sulks that sometimes grace the transition from car to house. Shoes off, toilet for the boys, shorts for Dad (it’s hot today), and get cracking on lunch. Lunch prep went amazingly quickly, and there were five minutes of silence as everybody sat up and dug in. It started getting noisier once the initial hunger pangs were quelled, and then the challenge, as always, was to coax the boys to eat quickly (so lunch wouldn’t take an hour) but without pushing too hard (lest they dig in their heels and refuse to eat altogether).
After lunch it was time for a nap. Rounding up hyperactive boys and settling them down for a nap is like herding cats. You need more arms than an octopus, more wisdom than Solomon, and more patience than Job.
Finally the house was quiet. I’d been hoping to have a nap myself, seeing as I’d been up way too late the night before. I started to get ready for bed, and then looked at my watch. It was 3:20. We had to get ready to go out to the afternoon service at 4:20. Not enough time for me to have a nap. I’d just feel terrible and grumpy for the rest of the day. I went and played video games instead, my first break since eight.
About an hour later it was time to wake sleepy boys and sleepy wife, and repeat the morning’s process to get everybody out the door. A little simpler this time because there was no breakfast involved.
Rushing around at church with too much last-minute stuff, we finally got underway about fifteen minutes late. Things dragged on longer than usual, and we eventually arrived home just after seven. Way past the boys’ meal time. So again, the rush for a quick food fix. We paused for a few minutes after supper to give the boys a chance to play, and then Off to Bed with You! Not the most popular game.
The boys were in bed asleep by about 9:30. In the thirteen hours since getting up I managed one hour not taken up by chores and responsibilities.
Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. At least, that’s what I was taught growing up. I have no idea how that could be possible. Maybe things will improve when the kids are older, but I’m not keeping my hopes up. Some Sundays are better than others, I have to admit, but I long for the utopia of a Sunday with only worship and rest, with no rush, no cares, no responsibilities. Maybe I’ll have to wait till heaven. At any rate, a day of no rush, no cares, and no responsibilities will seem like heaven.
