I do not apologize for not posting all Summer. Life gets busy - so do I! But oh my goodness what a Summer this has turned out to be...Enjoy! =)
For anyone who works at day care? 1 Corinthians 13 becomes one of the most real, and seemingly most impossible passages in the Bible. Yes, it sounds all flowery and wonderful because it’s about love this and love that, love, love, love. The problem comes when I’m trying to put God’s Word in action, like I’m supposed to. Let me give you a few examples (not all in this post) – mere chips, if you will, off the iceberg that I experience every day at work.
Love is patient.
For one week, a mere five days of the summer, Pandamania took day care by storm. Vacation Bible School and I used to love each other dearly. I have quite enjoyed running the music program for my church in the past, but this time my experience was quite different. One group had three children and a group leader. Jace was one of the three children. Now, I haven’t mentioned Jace before, but you know that one kid who always causes problems, never listens, and just drives people completely crazy? Jace is that kid. I was assigned to be Jace’s personal attendant. And that was it. Follow one kid around all week. Well, what the heck, I was getting paid – why not? I was in.
I have no idea how many times I prayed for the patience to not nail that child’s feet to the floor, his arms to a door, or just lock him and leave him in the closet without food or water. Any parent with children has experienced that feeling – never would any of us (I’m not a parent, but a child care-taker, you understand what I mean) actually do that, but we all think it at some point. The last day rolls around, and I have had it. Countless times I have completely removed Jace from an activity, lesson, or movie for being loud, not listening, and running around touching things that weren’t his – typically things that belonged to that kid who is very emotional and cries a lot over very small things.
But I digress. Here is where the patience really comes in. Jace had to go potty (I no longer say “had to go to the bathroom.” Not even to adults. It’s always ‘potty,’ now. Daycare has permanently altered my life.) He was jumping up and down, and I needed to be helping with the group, and the children’s bathroom was a five minute walk away. So off to the “grown up” bathroom we go. Because Jace is only three, I consider it acceptable to take him into the ladies side still. So in he goes, back into the handicap stall while I wait for him just outside.
I should have known that he was too quiet. Silence is always a dead give away that trouble is brewing. And it was.
“Jace, open the door.”
Silence. Then the lock ever so slowly opens and the door opens even slower.
The floor is completely covered in pee. He said he couldn’t reach the potty. His clothes were lying all over the floor. Couldn’t reach? Couldn’t reach? Guess what, Jace, I’m pretty sure these are the same size and height as your potty at home. And I’m also pretty sure that Mommy and Daddy don’t let you take off all your clothes every time you have to take a piss. In fact I’m pretty sure no one at your house pees all over the place in the nude.
Patience is not waiting for one kid in line to get his drink at the fountain. It isn’t waiting for a stoplight to turn green. It isn’t even waiting in the line at Wal-Mart that isn’t the express 20-items-or-less line.
Here is my definition of true patience: when you are at your breaking point and something else happens. Being able to have the self-control to keep your cool and not blow up when that happens is true patience.
Being able to keep my cool after having to kneel and mop up an ocean of pee that belongs to the child that has been the bane of my existence for a solid week, cleaning up said child and putting him back into his clothes, going home smelling of that child’s urine….
Patience defined.
No comments:
Post a Comment