"Super-Woman?" LOL Ummmm, nope.

I loved this post by "Blessed Moments!" My prayer is that I would never get in the way of other's seeing Christ in me and my family. It's not me, it's God's grace in me. That is all.

On Mother's Day we took all the kids to a restaurant with us. They have come to expect at least one comment about their behavior and/or sheer number when we go out. They don't like it. They get shy and embarrassed and don't know what to say. Oh, did I mention how people stare as we walk past? I so dislike that! Jordan always notices, and watches for people's reactions. We got in the van afterward, and he said, "Mommy, did you hear what the people walking in said as we were walking out?"

"No, I didn't. What?"

"They counted us! One, two, three, four, FIVE! And then they said, 'I wonder how she does it!?'"

The waitress said she had two boys that she couldn't handle and "props" to me. (Whatever that means. I've never heard that before.) "I don't know how you do it." My response is almost always "prayer." Plain and simple. I couldn't do it without His help.

Most of the time when we walk into a restaurant you can see the reluctance in the waitresses' eyes. Usually they have a seating area sectioned off for families with children so that the disruption to other customers is kept to a minimum. You should see the chagrin when we ask to please NOT be put in the "children's" section. We request this not so much because it's unpleasant to Josh and I, but because it really bothers the kids. It makes them so nervous to see other kids misbehaving. Even Isaac gets fidgety and fussy, and looks at us like he's waiting for us to go take care of the problem. LOL

We have made it a point to instill in our children the fact that we are a testimony for Christ wherever we go. That means that we make an extra special effort not to make a mess in a restaurant or be a distraction in any way, no matter where we are. We usually leave a tract on the table when we leave the tip, and why would they be compelled to read it if they don't see a difference in our lives from every other person who walks in and out of their doors? The kids take this very seriously. They love feeling needed and important, and special because they are different. "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure and whether it be right..." and, "Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou and example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity..." are verses that are an integral part of our family life. It's not something that can be "put on" for the occasion. It must be lived day in and day out. People can spot hypocrites a mile away. Everything we do or don't do matters. It all counts for something. Whether you're 3 or 93.

Like it or not, people are always watching. The best life is lived on purpose. "And whatsoever ye do, in word, or deed, do all to the glory of God." Amen.