Don’t come over to my house unannounced because you might just find yourself seeing more than you ever wished.
At my house, pants are optional. It isn’t like we announce it or even talk about it much, but a peek in my window and you’d see most everyone without pants. Except my husband. He always wears pants. Always. I don’t get it. But whatever.
I noticed it with my oldest son. He used to run around in just his underwear until he started to have some skin rashes and now he wears a shirt with only underwear as his bottoms. Then our daughter came. She is the same way. She chooses to wear a shirt and only underwear on the bottom. Either out of sheer laziness or #thirdchild situation, the baby rarely wears pants around the house. He’s usually in a onesie or just his cloth diaper.
At first, especially with our daughter, we kind of discussed if it was okay for the kids to not wear pants around the house. Having a boy first lets ya get away with a lot of things because people expect boys to run around with no clothes on. Then the girl came and we wanted to ensure she was comfortable, yet appropriate.
The end result is no pants. And I want a house that says no pants are acceptable.
Wearing no pants in the house is a display of comfort. This is a place where the kids are able to find rest. They are accepted for who they are, not for what someone expects from them.
The kids will grow up and life will get more difficult for them. There will be pressures from school and friends, and let’s face it, from their mama. There will be relationship drama, social issues, image issues, even. But in the house we call home, I want there to be comfortable and open dialogue. If the kids are physically comfortable and if we continue to foster an open relationship with them, then hopefully they will be able to be strong and confident enough to continue to make positive choices.
What does a house with no pants look like? Telling the kids that their mommy and daddy love them and so does Jesus. Like the bare comfort in our own home Jesus provides even more comfort in His unfailing and perfect arms. Mommy and Daddy aren’t perfect and neither are the kids. But we all have Jesus and He gives us grace. His mercies are new. And these are things we intentionally include in conversations inside our home.
Del, our 3 1/2 month little man, can be wailing and inconsolable. If we turn on this version of Jesus Loves Me, he will calm down near instantly. Needless to say (esp if you’ve followed my Facebook or Twitter updates you’d understand!), we sing this song a lot. I sing this song in my sleep while nursing him at all odd hours. The funny thing with this song, it has become engrained in my heart.
Jesus loves me and I take Him at His word (in the Bible). I believe He loves me. I feel it. I see it. Until I didn’t for awhile. I started wearing so many pairs of pants–over committed, sleepless nights with a new baby, too many meetings, too tired–that I was numb to His love for me and what that meant.
You see, I believe that Jesus will find a way in your mess to meet you. I believe it because I know it. It’s happened before. But how easy is it for us to slip away in our exhaustion and stress? Jesus loves us enough to pull us out and will use whatever He can. In this case, the old, possibly annoying song Jesus Loves Me.
Knowing Jesus loves me, like knowing in it in my core, brings me back to a place of confidence and strength. It’s a place where I feel I can air my dirty laundry and start new without judgment. It’s a place where I can rest in knowing I need a hot minute to get myself squared away and focused again. Because I can. I’m breathing. God has a purpose for me. And a lot of that purpose right now are the bodies in front of me not wearing their pants.
I’m curious. Where has Jesus met you unexpectantly in your mess? What was it like when you recognized it?
photo credit: What a difference a day makes, part 2 via photopin (license)
