One time I was working with the cutest little single parent family. There were three children. Michael was the middle child in between two bossy sisters. One morning he was really grouchy. Nothing was right. His clothes bothered him. He didn’t like his breakfast. His paper kept moving around when he was trying to draw a picture. He was mad at both sisters and people were just getting in his way and bothering him.

After putting up with his tirades for most of the morning his big sister said,

“Michael what is wrong with you? You have been grouchy all morning. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something?”

Michael got a real thoughtful look on his face and in a few moments said,

“No! No, I got up on the same side I get up on every morning. I can’t get up on the other side because it’s against the wall.”

That incident happened more than twenty years ago and yet I remember that perplexed look on Michael’s little face when he couldn’t figure out how he could have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

Michael was always the happy go lucky child. Nothing much seemed to bother him, but that morning was just a bad morning for him. The real problem was Michael had gone to bed very late the night before, and he was tired. Sometimes we all get tired. We get frustrated with the way life is going. We get exhausted and tired of ministering when it seems we are not making a difference in the life of a hurting child.

Just like little Michael needed to rest we may need a spiritual rest. We may need to get away and alone with the Lord. When your life is right with the Father, other things seem to work out too. That doesn’t mean you won’t have your moments and your challenges, but you will have hope and His Word will encourage you. Your burden will be a little lighter.

Do you wonder if the Lord ever looks at us and says, “What? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed today?” And we give him that same perplexed look like my little friend had. We alibi our busy and hectic schedules that keep us away from His word and from Him.

Kids need our best. They need us to be rested physically and spiritually. Kids of divorce especially need for you to be loved enough by the Father that you can give love to them.

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This article is updated and adapted from an article originally published on Divorce Ministry 4 Kids on September 27, 2013.