Looking On the Bright Side

In a few days we will be going to the airport and picking up my niece and nephew. We are excited about their visit and the time the cousins will get to spend together. It is going to be fun, right?

Well, we were talking about this great adventure in small group Bible study the other day. I was sharing some of my concerns, but mostly my excitement. We are getting sleeping arrangements ready, signing them up for swim lessons, registering for VBS and just planning for a really nice visit. The kiddos and I have been tidying up the house and trying to work on the logistics.

As my joy with a tiny hint of anxiety is spilling out in our study group another member of the group tells me that he has a totally different vision for the long visit. He explains that his vision is of my husband and I duct taped to kitchen chairs while seven children march around us celebrating their victory. He imagines children running all around the yard, jumping off the shed roof and acting as you might imagine seven children under the age of thirteen might act with no supervision. The entire time he is explaining his vision he is laughing and enjoying his story immensely.

This vision of chaos made me chuckle, simply because I can't see it ever happening. The children know they need me.....or at least my skills: cook, taxi driver, bank, referee and events coordinator. I am not sure about my niece and nephew, but our children know that we are dependent upon each other and things work the best when we all work together.

I am not completely delusional, I know that having seven children is going to be challenging. I know that my car only seats seven and that now there are nine of us. I know that the laundry and the dishes are going to pile up quickly and are going to need to be attended to often. I know that by adding two more children to our mix that the amount of tattling and arguing is bound to increase. However, I am choosing not to care. I am choosing to be positive and look at the bright side.

There are bound to be plenty of times where I want to throw in the towel and say, "what was I thinking!" However, I am looking forward to the times when I say, "why haven't we done this sooner?" Our children are growing so fast, before we know it they will be leaving home and starting families of their own. I am excited about the memories we are going to make, the relationships we are going to build and am praying for Christ to make a lasting impact on my niece and nephew.

Let me encourage you to take a risk...do something that others may think is crazy....impact someone's eternal life. We truly only have a few years with our children, let's make the most of them and look at the bright side!