"And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.    {Ephesians 2:6}

I had to chuckle a little bit as I wrote this verse. The part that says, "and made us sit together,"sounds like a kid telling the Mom how terrible she is for making them sit together. All the kids in the family sat in church, but not next to each other always. Especially not Rudy next to Matt, because this could start a ruckus.{As adults this rule stands true at the dinner table most nights.}

Matt was a bit squirmy, and didn't think it a bad thing to bother Rudy during the service. Oh no, he never thought about where he was, or what his father would do if he made trouble. Sunday morning were meant to bless, and uplift all the congregants. Ha!First there was the struggle to get everyone ready, in the car, and to the church on time. 

My husband had his own time for getting to church. I wanted to stay on the same schedule as the rest of the world. This can cause friction in a marriage, so I let it go. I didn't want to cause friction.Until the next Sunday rolled around and we went through this scenario again. Did you know that God has a sense of humor, and that he doesn't give up?

The root of my angst was not getting to church on time. It was, deeper than that. I was concerned about being seen by others. "What will so and so think if we walk into church late again? One way to break this happened when it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. My wonderful husband took us into the balcony, where there wasn't any room. Then he paraded all six of us down the side stairs for all to see.

At this point I wanted to run out of there. Rudy proceeded to string us through a pew that was pretty full already. Those who were there weren't happy about the six of us joining them. Especially when I inadvertently stepped on their toes. If looks could kill! One of those who wanted us out of there and fast was an old student of mine. I smiled as sweetly as possible, and sat down.

Mothers are responsible for keeping the peace. It is right there in the Bible. Not quite, but it is an unwritten rule. I was a total failure if my peeps got out of line, which happened frequently. Did they want to destroy their Mom? No I think most children act like children, and some adults for that matter.

Oh how I have overcome! My peeps come in late to church. Rudy has learned to respect my desire to be on time. We don't stress over what everyone will wear. Jeans are fine. I am so happy to have them, as adults in church with me.  My pride shines down to the first floor every time. {We are always in the balcony now.}

I learned to forget about people pleasing. Rarely it will try to rear its ugly head, and I tell it to forget about it. Life is too short to be concerned about what others think of you. Life is to be lived, enjoyed, and loved. Let the love of God flow out of you, and every other thing will pale in comparison.