Sleepy heads

My sister came in town today, and when Aunt Amanda comes to town, everything is a party! She has five kids, going on six, and my children just love to play with them all. They have a great time together, usually :), but they also play hard and don't nap. This makes for some very tired kiddos. As we left Grandma's house tonite to go home, two of my kids conked out in the first two minutes, the other two took turns wailing and weeping. I don't think they even knew why they felt so sad, and just leaving the cousins behind at Grandma's for the night wasn't sufficient for these the-world's-coming-to-an-end tears. When this happens, and reason flies out the window into the night air, I find that it's best not to give in to the desparation of the moment, but as the proverbs say, not answer a fool in his folly. I know that their cries are a result of their sinful natures just as much as they're from their exhausted bodies, but I also know that our Lord who is slow to anger and compassionate with me, sees these little ones with just as much love and patience. So, I try to see them through these last few moments before crashing in their beds, by soft tones in my voice and kind, understanding words. And I know that this is just a small and very flawed example of how my precious Father in heaven also handles my irrational cries - like during the arsenic hour every day, or all day long during pregnancy, or even in the throes of labor pains. He is THE Comforter! May He make me more like Him today.

So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. Zechariah 1:13