My house is a lost cause.  

I have always felt a need to have my house in perfect order when guests came, especially those who are more given to housework themselves.  For many years I worked hard to keep my apartment, or house or whatever in such a way that people had the impression that I had it all together.

But then it happened.

Children.

Someone said that trying to keep a clean house when you have children is like trying to brush your teeth while eating Oreos.  Jerry Seinfeld said that having little kids is like having a blender with no lid.  

When I look at my kids and their way of getting through the day, I am amazed that they have not yet contracted some awful dirt-borne illness.   Every shirt is a napkin, and fingers double as booger-extraction tools.  There are constant reminders to wash grubby hands, and the tub constantly has a mysterious ring around it.  (Today the ring is purple.) I totally believe the Creation account that God made Man out of dirt… because little boys ooze dirt from their pores.  They stand in one place and dirt finds its way onto them.  There is no point in trying to keep them clean.  And then there’s the little girl, who is constantly trying out new crafts and clothing options and makeup configurations.  There is a trail of “creativity” behind her.

The other day Kaitlyn asked, “Was your house clean before we came?”  I thought about it… Why yes, it was.  Very clean in comparison.

There were no toys lying around. 

There was nothing sticky on my computer monitor.

There were no clothes lying on the floor of the empty rooms upstairs.

The furniture never got rearranged in preparation for a wrestling match, a hockey game or a “Toby Mac” lip-sync concert.  All was in order… all the time.

Proverbs 14:4 says (NLT) “Without oxen a stable stays clean.”

There will be days down the road where I have lots of time to clean up.  People will come to my house and be extremely impressed with my culinary skill and my housekeeping abilities.

But today is not that day.  Today we play hockey, sing by the piano and make lots of noise.  We eat nuggets and laugh and do silly things.  We track in dirt and clay from our soccer cleats and scrape the paint off the car doors with our bike handles.

And I would not have it any other way.  I have already lost too much time in the lives of my kids, so I have lots of time to make up.  I have learned to do my best, and at the end of the day take an account of what I DID accomplish:  The kids are in bed, all have food in their tummies, all got hugs and kisses, all are well and know they are loved.  I look around and see all the unfinished things and stuff to do “tomorrow”.   That’s it for today.  Sometimes “good enough” is good enough. 

I’ve got a concert to get to.