Mess Monster Under the Bed

As a young girl I used to cringe when my mother told me to clean my room. I was not a neat child. I earned the moniker of Little Miss Mess Maker. God made me a tenacious little rebel, and life offered so many opportunities for fun beyond taking care of clothes, toys, books, and the remnants of any snacks I snuck into my room.

My solution for many years was to run into my room, put away a few items that my mom would immediately notice in their rightful place, and then unceremoniously crammed everything else under my bed  using my hands and feet.  Sometimes I needed to brace my little body against the wall and use all my strength to push various objects out of sight. 

This was not an impulse, it was a well-thought plan. I proceeded to read a few chapters or color some pictures until a sufficient amount of time passed to add credence to my cleaning ploy. I was not destructive by nature. If I'm honest, I probably enjoyed maneuvering through the obstacle course mess I created. It was an accomplishment. 

I would proudly burst from my room and tell my mother I was done cleaning.

She would walk into my room and abruptly kneel down pulling armfuls of clothes, toys, books, and dishes out from under my bed. She would walk out the door saying "try again."

I would try again. I would try to make my ploy more convincing.  She would walk in, kneel down, pull everything out from under the bed, and give me a pointed look.  

Remember when I said God made me a tenacious little rebel, I was determined to make my plan work. I went back to shoving the monster back under my bed.  This was not what my mother meant when she said "try again." I was well aware that she expected me to try until I defeated the monster under my bed.

When she came back into my room, she did not kneel down and pull everything out from under my bed. She made me do it. I was clearly not the only one in the house with a stubborn streak.  

I got the message she was trying to give me. She loved me enough to make me do what she knew was best for me -- living without monsters under the bed.

She made me battle the monster I made. She made me fight until I won. She made me understand that the battle isn't over because I pretended I won.  She made me realize I needed to fix the problems I created, and it might take more than one try. I might have to "try again" several times.