Our son loves nothing more than to experiment in the kitchen, which means he and I have an easy way to spend time together, since he lives with us for the time being. 

But it also means there’s considerable mess to deal with afterwards. While I’m persnickety about a clean kitchen, cleaning up is not his strong suit.  

What to do?

I’ve been wrestling with this question for most of this year, and have been unable to find an answer, until it dawned on me that this son won’t be with us forever like this.  His new job is working out. He may launch again before I know it.

I’ve had to ask myself if having a clean kitchen is more important to me than enjoying him while he lives here.  No, it’s not, I answer myself.  So I swallow my griping about what he’s left out and practice gratitude for the things he gets right.  

Before he left for work today, I thanked him for wiping the apple juice off the counter, setting his dirty dish beside the sink, putting the cheese away. Never mind that he left a dirty knife, hot sauce, a receipt, his new iPad and charger, plus dirty shoes on the table.  

I’m trying to focus on what he does well and let the rest go, because having a happy relationship with a happy son matters more to me than a shiny sink and countertop.  To be close to him, I can’t keep pointing out how he’s messing up.  

I can only do this by trusting God to finish the good work he started in us. I still blow it, but I’m getting better at blessing rather than micromanaging.

And I see a ray of hope on the horizon–he thought to throw away the hot sauce wrapper right after he opened it, and I’m thinking that a wrapper doesn’t have to come between us, regardless.

Love wins.

“Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.”
‭‭Ep‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭MSG.

“Do everything in love,” 1 Co‬ ‭16‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV.

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