Busy with the baby, it took me a few minutes to respond to the small voices at my door. One glance out the window revealed two big smiles with little else visible through the coating of mud that covered my sons’ faces. From the visors on their ball caps to the soles of their muck books, they were covered in wet, slimy mud.
“We rolled in a puddle!” they chorused together in the same tone they might have used to announce they’d won a Nobel Prize.
Completely at a loss for how to clean up this comprehensive new mess, I burst into tears. Though I’ve since developed a slick method for cleaning up a mud mess, I remember wondering on that cold March day if it would be considered child abuse to hose them down!
Maybe mud season in your home has nothing to do with the weather. Is there some aspect of your mothering life that feels like too much, a season or a responsibility that leaves you feeling stuck or even out of control? In my first essay directed to boy mums at The Joyful Life, I shared this memory and the transformation process that came as a gift as slowly, over the years, arrow prayers ascended to God from this desperate boy-mum’s heart. If you find yourself running out of patience long before you have run out of day, let my story encourage you.
And if you need the encouragement of community in your prayer life, complete the form below to receive the free Prayer Warrior Challenge Printable in your email inbox. Take the challenge and commit to praying for your children every single day!
Holding you in the light,
Whatever time in your family’s life feels like mud season to you, don’t let yourself get stuck. Turn your frustration and anxiety into arrow prayers, and remind your heart that there is no mess too big for God to clean up!
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I had never thought of that particular phase with our children as “Mud Season,” and yet that’s exactly what it was back in the mid to late ‘80’s. Our HS senior son would come home after a very long day walking through Louisiana rice and cotton fields counting bugs. Yes, that really was a job. He would be totally covered in caked mud from head to toe. And yes, I did hose him off enough that he could dislodge the stiff clothing enough to remove them outside. Those were figuratively very muddy days as our teenage son and daughter made poor choices that put our family in deep dark places for a time. But God! Yes, but God cleaned us all up and brought new life from these times. Thank you for reminding me of God’s faithfulness even and especially in the muddy seasons.
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Libby, I am praying right this minute that your words will be a huge encouragement to other readers who bump into them in the coming days. We may feel sometimes as if we are stuck in eternal mud season with no way out, and yet you are speaking a message of hope and joy from the other side!
Blessings to you!
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“Remind your heart that there is no mess too big for God to clean up, both in our lives—and in the lives of our sons.” Beautiful post, Michele, and so true – God seems to work in our lives and theirs simultaneously as we pray.
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Oh, that’s so true!
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If hosing them off is considered abuse, then I would be GUILTY! That was my first thought of how to deal with the mess!!
Besides that, thank you for the encouragement and good words. ~ linda
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Thanks so much, Linda!
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Ahh yes, muddy children at the door, I remember it well. It is not child abuse to hose them down, by the way. 😉
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Appreciate the grace!
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I didn’t know I needed a name for the season of parenting I am in, but this is it. Thanks.
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Glad.to lend you some words, friend!
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Michele, I’ve seen and know of moms who hosed down the mud-covered kids outside before they could enter the house-no judgement or abuse noted. In fact, the kids usually love it. Another way to play in water, but this time clean water. 🙂 And what a great analogy to the Lord cleaning up our messes. Glad the Holy Spirit cleanes us from the mire and muck of sin and how the world wants to stain us forever.
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I am grateful for the cleansing grace!
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Yes, thank you for sharing this post!
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Thanks so much for reading!
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As a mother to 4 sons, I am familiar with mud season#mischiefandmemories@_karendennis
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I’ve probably done it all – hosing off, carrying muddy clothes in a black plastic bag to use the removable shower head to hose the clothes down before I wash – and using the same thing on the boys! With boys, you have to work with the mud! LOL Because of the large age group of my sons (34-20) – there have been a lot of firsts that were graceless. There are days they still take me by surprise – but I am becoming more agile and much sturdier! My boy-mom heart loves your post!
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Solidarity among boy mums!
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“If you find yourself running out of patience long before you have run out of day,” Oh I remember those days, Michele. I recently found a journal from that time of life, and it reminded me of how trying those days with sweet little ones can be.
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I am just coming off a weekend (a LONG weekend) with 2 grandkids, and I felt it anew!
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[…] myself, but Michele Morin of Living our Days gave me the language and a great tip for it. Read Mud Season Prayers: There is No Mess Too Big for God to Clean Up. Thank you, Michele, for the […]
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‘running out of patience long before you have run out of day’ pretty much sums up parenting life for me.
Katrina x
#MischiefandMemories
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Oh, it’s definitely a challenging season. Katrina, I am praying for you this morning that you will find joy and stress for this particular day with your family.
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We don’t have mud season – but it sure does feel like it sometimes. I can certainly relate to running out of steam before the day is up and there’s still a long road ahead. I’m climbing that mountain today! Thank you for joining us for #mischiefandmemories
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Always good to hear from you!
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Great post Michele! I often find that I have run out of patience long before I have run out of fay. But it does get easier with a bit of perspective and the ability to give certain things up to a higher power. Thanks for linking with me.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
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It’s certainly a concern for.all of us humans with limited energy!
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My kids love being outside, digging in the garden, searching for bugs, climbing trees. Yes, they get screen time but they still want to connect with nature and enjoy the wonderful world we live in. Thanks for linking up with #MischiefAndMemories
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Wonderful that they have both!
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[…] top commenter last week was Chatterfox with Michele Morin a close second: thank […]
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