...But I'm Sure Paul Did NOT have 3 Little Kids

³ We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. ⁴ In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. ⁵ We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. ⁶ We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,^[c] and by our sincere love. ⁷ We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. ⁸ We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. ⁹ We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. ¹⁰ Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

So, the other morning, I woke up after having only 5 hours of interrupted sleep. I nearly threw my phone across the room when the alarm went off. I sleepily walked to the bathroom and squeezed some Visine into my tired bloodshot eyes and proceeded to get ready for work. I knew this was going to be a bad morning...

The baby woke up before I had a chance to finish getting ready, then Noah woke up and decided that it was going to a be a whining-for-everything type day, and Maia chose to have a throw-a-tantrum-because-I-can't-call-the-shots type day. Don't they know how tired I am? As the morning went on, I got more and more irritated and mean. I think I bit everyone's head off including Ricky's (I don't think he did anything but I was on a roll so I got mad at him for pouring the milk too slowly or something).

Then, as I drove to work with my screaming baby, my whiny preschooler, and my pouty toddler. This passage in 2 Corinthians came to mind. God was speaking to me. And, all I could do was argue..."But God, Paul did NOT have 3 little kids that drove him crazy after not getting any sleep! I know that he says that I am to be a minister of God and an example to everyone, but did he have to deal with a screaming baby and a preschooler who whines for EVERYTHING, and a tantrum throwing out-of-control toddler?...Yes, I understand that he was beaten and imprisoned and starving and sleepless, but...but...but...

Yup, there I was arguing with God about how I should be excused from my behavior because Paul didn't have 3 little kids to deal with after a sleepless night. He was only beaten, starved, and imprisoned.

Sometimes, I wonder how God puts up with me and my crazy rants! But, I am so thankful that He is patient with me and loves me anyways.