Pineapples

First, I dont even like pineapples even a little bit. And when you get to the bottom of this post, you might forget the title had anything to even do with pineapples. About 3 years ago when I was large with child-- with baby number 3 child, I saw a video called the Pineapple story. I Loved it. Its all about Otto the missionary and these people who kept stealing his pineapples. And laundry. And anything not nailed down. He was a missionary to some thieving natives. Some very proud to be thieving natives who drove him bonkers. So, at the end I came to realize Otto wasn't just there to minister to the natives (who did by the way stop their thieving ways and come to the Lord)... he was there for God to teach him about anger and patience. Today as a mom I thought, "Lord did you call me to do full time laundry or full time mommyhood-- because right about now, it feels like the first over the latter." And sometimes I feel like the full time disciplinarian, referee, maid, driver, cook, um, did I mention maid? Today we had a pretty crappy morning-- I could give you our daily break down, but lets just say someone is stil stubbornly finishing up school, laundry is waiting, dirty dishes abound, and mommy has been a crank. Am I perfect for the job of being a mom? No! Are there days I wish I could hide in my room with a book? Yes!!! But, like Otto-- I am not called to an easy road, I am called to minister to these children who can melt my heart, but they have also been known to melt toys and make catastrophies that would make the faint of heart run for cover. I love them, but I think some of that love that defies all understanding is that I love them when they drive me crazy and when I want to cry because I have cleaned milk up about a billion times in one day (numbers are not exageratted!). So, thats why as crazy as our lives are, I am about to share this picture with you. Because it is a calling. It is my mission field and that does not mean the days will be perfect and easy, if anything, I think they almost need to be the other way around so I can learn what God is trying to teach me.

and to check out Ottos story for yourself, the book version is here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pineapple-Story-Bill-Gothard/dp/091688838X and the cd version is here: http://store.iblp.org/products/ctps/