Adoration With Small Children: Hard on Moms, a Joy for Jesus
There was a considerable amount of noise from the door. And as the woman passed the partition into the chapel, I could see why: she had a two-year old on her hip and a four-year old in tow.
I smiled. I have a couple of girls I've been dragging into chapels too.
The woman tried to get her two girls settled next to me on the pew. And then she tried to pray. But the little girls were squirmy. They dropped toys and played with an umbrella. And they rolled around on the floor and lay on the kneeler.
The woman tried over and over to get the two to be still, and it wasn't going to happen.
I prayed for the woman. I have been there on so many occasions where there was a problem in my life, and I really needed to tell Jesus, and it would make me feel so much better if I could just have a moment of stillness to hear His voice and regain my sense of peace, and if these kids would just stop dropping their toys and rolling all over the place then we could all be holy, and now instead of feeling holy I'm feeling mad, and it's even worse that I'm mad in front of Jesus, which means I have to go to confession immediately.
(I'm starting to hyperventilate just writing this.)
But, as the mom in the chapel without any children at that moment, I was calm and extremely aware that Jesus does all things well even if we aren't.
I smiled at the kids. I prayed for the woman's peace. I asked Jesus to tell her that He knows her prayer even if she didn't get to say it like she wanted. And He will give her peace even if she isn't feeling it right at this moment. And those little sweeties are being blessed into eternity even if they didn't seem as pious as the children in holy cards.
The woman got up to leave. And I turned and waved to the girls. Jesus blessed them enormously, even if it didn't feel like it.