Tempest in a Teapot

We all have times of storm in our lives. I tend to have mini tempests when I’m trying to steer my children in one direction and they insist on going another—or not moving at all.

This afternoon I was trying to get the kids to clean up their toys so they could have their free time and I could start dinner. However, not only were they being goofy, but they also seemed blind to every scattered toy until I pointed it out. Since they had had an active day of play, that meant I was policing them as they picked up toy…after toy…after toy. 

One eye was on the clock as I watched dinnertime inch closer. My internal pressure was building, and I was becoming more irritable with every passing second. However, the kiddos seemed unaffected by my bad mood, playing, laughing, and even singing as they ran back and forth and took too much time to pick up their toys. 

Yes, singing. I almost snapped when I realized my son was singing a happy little tune to himself as I groused at him. Then I heard the lyrics of the song my six-year-old was singing under his breath as he worked: 

“…in the middle of the war, you guard my soul. You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn….”*

My heart melted. The clouds dissipated. Because that little song reminded me that the last thing I want is to be the storm swirling around my son. But what I do want, and what I’m so glad he’s learning, is that there is an anchor we can both cling to “in the eye of the storm.”

*If you don’t recognize this song, it’s “Eye of the Storm,” sung by Ryan Stevenson. You can find it on iTunes.