Sunday mornings are difficult. 

Brian is off milking the cows, so I am left to get the kids dressed and cleaned, snacks prepared, myself dressed, breakfast made, supplies gathered — all in the car and out the door in time for Sunday School and then church.  For whatever reason, Sunday mornings are always the ones when the kids fight me about getting dressed and/or what they are going to wear.  What they are going to eat.  Whether or not they will stay dressed long enough to get into the car.  Etc.  By the time that I actually start driving to church, I am burned out.

I hear a whisper in my ear, “Is it REALLY worth it???”

And once we get there, it is a fight getting out of the car (like which door will be used as an exit).  We are usually a little late, no matter how early I try to get our Sunday morning routine started, so the classes have already started.  My escape artist likes to take a detour and run right through the middle of the adult Bible class.  (I try to shrug it off and not be too embarrassed, but sometimes it’s hard to fight the redness that creeps up my face.)  We barge right into the Sunday school class and my runner does a lap around the room, distracting the rest of the class.  And he just happens to be SUPER sensory, so his “happy yodeling” is EXTRA loud and there isn’t much I can do to control the volume of his stimming.  And I try to take a deep breath and calm my frazzled nerves.

I hear a whisper in my ear, “Are you SURE it’s REALLY worth it???”

Once Sunday school is over, I struggle to get both kids from the classroom to the church, stopping for drinks along the way, trying not to knock people over with my large “purse” that I’m dragging along, attempting to coax a “wet noodle” off the floor who really wants to play in the dark gym, chasing after one child running to the videos in the church library while the other runs toward the bags of colored pencils and children’s bulletins for the service — and I try not to lose it or shed a tear.

I hear a whisper in my ear,  “THIS is worth it?  Really???”

The three of us finally make it into the “child training room” where we spend the service and I break out a snack.  One child complains because I didn’t bring the right thing, the other one is climbing all over me and messing up the only “hairstyle” that I could pull off for the morning.  I fight to stay sane and pull myself back together. 

I hear that whisper again, “OK, this is worth it???”

Brian is finally able to join us.  The pastor has given us an advanced copy of the sermon, so I can read with him as my lap becomes a claim to stake.  And I hear about the gloriousness of heaven.  And I hear two little voices participating in “The Lord’s Prayer” and singing the “Alleluias” in the final hymn.

When that little voice returns, I answer it — “This IS SO worth it!”