Maya sucked in a deep breath. She was at her wit’s end with the kids today, and they could tell. Tyler and Nate tracked mud all over the new carpet, Cassie argued with everything she said, and Emma refused to take a nap, even though she was clearly overtired. Maya needed to get the laundry done, the dishes were piled in the sink, and she only had about an hour and a half before she needed to start dinner. In short, she felt like a terrible mother. There was only one thing to do.

“Cassie, I need you to watch your brothers and sister for an hour.”

“But Mom…”

“No arguing. There’s something I need to do, and I need to know I can count on you. It’s just for one hour, and I’ll pay you to babysit.”

Cassie shrugged. “OK, I guess.” 

“Thank you.”

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk.”  Maya set Emma on the sofa, put on her favorite video, and gave her a sippy cup of milk. She kissed the top of her head and whispered “I’ll see you in a little while, sweetheart.”

She left the boys with strict instructions to listen to their sister, grabbed her things, and walked out the front door.

Standing on the front porch, Maya popped her ear buds in her ears, set her phone to worship music, and tucked her small Bible in one pocket and her phone in the other. After tightening the laces of her sneakers, she strolled down the street until she reached the end of the neighborhood.

At the end of the cul-de-sac was a path into the woods. The trees were ablaze in golds, reds, and oranges, and each footstep crunched on the leaves that had already fallen. Surrounded by the beauty of nature and the sounds of praises to God, Maya’s spirit soared. She sang out in praise along with the music. After about a mile, she reached the stream. She pulled out her earbuds and tucked them back into their case. Now, instead of the music, the sounds of the forest surrounded her. Birds sang overhead, a squirrel scampered through the rustling leaves, and the gurgling of the stream all completed the melody.

Maya settled onto a large, flat rock by the edge of the stream. She pulled out her Bible and opened it to the Psalms. She read and prayed for wisdom, and her soul filled with peace and love. Finally, she closed her Bible, popped her earbuds back in, and let the songs fill her heart as she walked back to her house.

When she opened the front door, it wasn’t with a sense of dread. No, she longed to be with her children again, for she loved them fiercely. She loved her home, her life, and her Lord.

“I’m back,” she called, as she entered the house. She entered the family room, where Emma was sound asleep on the sofa. Maya pressed a hand to her heart. What a precious sight. She followed the noise to where the boys were wrestling in the living room, just in time to see them knock over a vase. It fell to the floor and shattered with a crash. Cassie came running.

“What did you guys do? Mom is going to be so mad. She’s never going to trust me to watch you guys again.”

“It’s OK, Cassie.”

Cassie whirled around. “I didn’t hear you come in. Mom, I don’t know what happened. I was in the other room.”

Maya held out a hand. “It’s fine. It’s just a vase. Tyler, Nate, are you both OK?” They nodded in unison, both staring at the floor.

“Good. Now this is what you’re going to do. Go get your winter gloves from the closet, pick up the big pieces carefully with the gloves on so you don’t get cut. Then vacuum up the rest. Understood?”

Another nod. “You’re not mad?”

Maya nearly laughed. “No. I’m not. I just want you to clean up the mess. And when you’re finished with that, I want you both to come to the family room.”

She exited the room and signaled to Cassie to follow her. They made their way back to the family room, where Emma sat up, rubbing her eyes. She reached out her pudgy arms. “Mommy!”

Maya hurried to the sofa and settled beside Emma, who climbed into her lap. Maya turned to Cassie. “Thank you so much for looking after them while I was gone. Now I’d like you to do something else for me. Would you please gather the towels from the bathrooms and kitchen and throw them in the laundry? I’m a little behind on my chores today.”

To her surprise, Cassie didn’t argue. She simply picked up Emma’s empty sippy cup and walked to the kitchen, where she placed the cup in the dishwasher and pulled the towel off the rack.

Emma gazed up at Maya with wide eyes. “Are you happy now, Mama?”

Maya beamed at her little girl. “I am. Do you want to help Mommy make dinner?”

Emma’s eyes sparkled. “Uh-huh. Like a big girl.”

“Yes. Like a big girl. We can make a delicious dinner, so when Daddy comes home, the whole house will smell yummy.”

Emma scampered off the sofa and headed into the kitchen. A moment later, the boys arrived.

“The vase is all cleaned up. We put the pieces in the trash.” Nate hung his head. “I’m sorry we broke it.”

“Me too,” Tyler said.

Maya hugged each of them. “It’s OK. I’m glad neither of you got hurt. But I need you to be more careful. When you’re not careful, it makes extra work to do. Like this.” She pointed to the muddy footprints on the carpet. “You boys tracked that in when you came in from playing football in the back yard.”

The boys hung their heads again. “I guess we’re just a couple of troublemakers,” Tyler said.

Maya knelt down to look them each in the eye. “You are not troublemakers. You’re wonderful boys who have a lot of energy and don’t always think about your actions. But when something like this happens, I want you to correct it, so you’ll think twice the next time. It’s a lot easier to wipe your feet or take off your shoes before you come inside than it is to get mud out of the carpet. But now that the mud is dry, you should be able to scrape it up. She stood, returned to the kitchen, and gave them each a butter knife. “Scrape up the dirt, then vacuum it up. I’ll show you how to clean up what remains once you get most of it up. In the meantime, Emma and I are going to start dinner.”

Cassie stood in the doorway, staring at Maya. “Mom?”

“Yes, dear?”

“What happened to you on that walk? Before you left, you were so stressed. But now you’re calm and happy. It’s like you’re a completely different person.”

Maya smiled at her oldest child. “I spent time with Jesus.”

Exodus 34: 29-32

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them.  Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

God, sometimes life can be stressful. And sometimes we don’t think we have time to pray or read our Bible. But in reality, taking that time to be with You smooths the rest of our life. Spending time with You helps us see others the way You see them. It fills us with peace, love, and when we ask for it, You’ll give us wisdom. Just like Moses, whose face glowed after spending time with You, we will change when we spend time with You. Thank You for helping us become more like You, for there’s no better way to be. Please help us remember when things aren’t going well that we need to spend more time with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.