Serenity for Sunday Mornings

Baby did not have a restful night; therefore, mom did not have a restful night. I tried to muster up the energy for a cheerful smile for each of the other three children who were already waking up - and silently swallowed the salty flavor of disappointment. They were awake before I had finished my morning Bible reading and prayer! 

I plopped my Bible on the edge of the bed, and foggily remembered that it was Sunday morning . . . and someone extra was coming for breakfast! My stomach tightened. How could I get breakfast made and on the table on time when I was the only adult in the house until the chore crew came home for breakfast? Just getting everyone up and dressed seemed overwhelming. Reading and praying became difficult when my mind was jumbling over whether we had enough eggs to make scrambled eggs or if there were any other reasonable menu options. My next thought was, “This is not how Sunday mornings should be. Something needs to change.” 

But what? We all know the serenity prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” As a homemaker, it takes a lot of thought and prayer to sort out what to accept and what to change. An important role of business managers is to spend time thinking, discussing in meetings, and deciding. As a manager of the home, an important role is to pray for direction, think of options, and discuss with our husbands. 

In this situation, the ages and needs of my children were not going to change anytime soon. The time breakfast needed to be on the table was not going to change. Needing a hearty breakfast for the crew coming in from the barn after early morning chores was not going to change. Would it help to have some breakfast food decided on and made ahead?

We started using a breakfast casserole recipe that my husband liked and could be made the day before. I put that on the Saturday list, and it soon became part of the “Saturday cleaning jobs.” We added applesauce for an easy and hearty breakfast menu. Twenty years later, the same casserole is still being made by one of the children each Saturday to bless our Sunday mornings!

Maybe a breakfast casserole is not what is needed for your Sunday morning menu. Would your husband or an older child like to make breakfast? Maybe something small and simple, like bagels, would be a good option. Pray for direction, think of options, and discuss with your husband. Regardless what you decide, remember to not compare, or soon the “bagels” mom is envying the family who gets a full breakfast made by dad and the “full breakfast made by dad” mom is thinking only bagels would be much simpler and more efficient!

Maybe the breakfast menu is not the Sunday morning stressor at your house. Perhaps the children are all out of sorts and at your feet because they are out of routine and not sure what to be doing. Pray for direction, think of options, and discuss with your husband. Can there be a few jobs assigned? Or could there be some special activities, such as a stack of Bible story books or picture puzzles that are reserved just for Sunday mornings?

Maybe pushing too hard and staying up late the night before is stressing your Sunday mornings. About the same time that the breakfast casserole idea became a part of my weekly routine, I realized that my Saturday projects and job list needed to stop about noon. I know that sounds extreme, but with a houseful of little ones, in order to feel put together and ready for Sunday by Saturday evening, it took the rest of the day to finish up, pick up, clean up, etc. Every household is different, but that was my experience.

Maybe getting everyone dressed is the Sunday morning stressor. Pray for direction, think of options, and discuss with your husband. Would it help to lay out clothes the night before? Maybe assign an older child to help with a younger child? Does it make sense to get up a little earlier so you can start earlier?

Something about "getting up earlier" can make me cringe. Isn’t Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? If I imagine shutting off the alarm, sleeping in, or maybe snuggling up with a fluffy pillow, soft blanket, a book, and a cup of hot chocolate - then Sunday mornings with little children will definitely be frustrating!

A "day of rest" means we can minimize earthly labors so we can focus on serving God. Laundry, cleaning, ironing, shopping, bookwork, and most jobs can wait for another day. Food can be made ahead when possible. I know some women who even let the dishes set until the next day. Of course, children still need clothed and fed and supervised. And Sunday never meant to rest from our spiritual work! For the ministers, Sundays are a day to take up their spiritual labor of love as they preach God’s Word. What is our spiritual work as mothers? One basic task is serving God by getting the family ready for God’s House of Worship! Think of your labors Sunday morning as your opportunity to serve God.

Regardless of how much praying, thinking, and discussing you do, Satan will make sure that there are difficulties some Sunday mornings! Someone will get sick just before you leave, or the milk will spill. Let's not despair. In fact, this is an opportunity for God’s more abundant blessings, because He blesses those who make sacrifices to worship Him! 

- Kendra is usually at home, living the kaleidoscope of joys and challenges found in a farming household. Her love for writing and brainstorming ideas is vibrant - even though health issues have brought physical limitations.