Big Helpers

I have not kept a clean house. This has been a weakness of mine for a long time. My mother would send my sister and I to our room until it was clean. I wonder about the logic now: me, my best friend, and all our toys... But I would read to my sister while she cleaned, since she couldn't read. She later realized that neither could I. She was "My cleaning fairy." I have missed her dearly.
But I am finally sick and tired of having a dirty house. It bugs me. And so I have tired and failed miserably at doing it on my own. It would seem the only way to get a clean house was to ignore my children, and I wasn't okay with that solution. So in desperation, I prayed: "Dear Lord, you have commanded me to keep a house of order and cleanliness. You have also commanded me to nurture these children. I know you give no commandment save you prepare a way to accomplish the things which you command. Help prepare a way." And then I went to work. And an amazing thing happened. My kids figured out how to pick up their toys. They don't often remember on their own, but they are good, big helpers. They are learning how to put away the silverware from the dishwasher. They love to sweep my pile, back all over the room. They are learning their cloths go in the dirty cloths after they have been worn. I did not teach them these things--I have tried. But I see how the Lord has helped them to learn. I don't understand completely how my house is clean now, ,mostly, and it wasn't before. The kids help has been the noticable change--that and my prayer. So I know it is the Lord that is helping this to be accomplished. And I am so grateful and so is Todd.