Isn't that the truth!

The boys made a big mess in the back yard yesterday, and Alif asked them to clean it up today. Once we were all ready for our day, I sent the boys out to clean and pretty soon I looked out and Graham was standing in the mud, splashing around joyfully. I sighed and called him in, truly hating to interrupt his fun but knowing he had to be disciplined for being disobedient. I reminded him that he's to be focused on cleaning, and that once they were done the back yard would be ready for play again. And to help, this time I gave him a specific job to do - clear off the picnic table. About another 3-4 minutes later I heard much raucus laughter and looked out to see what was going on. There he was, tormenting his little sister with car tracks. Hey, at least he'd gotten them off the table! LOL So I called him in again and said, "Honey, what happened? Remember, you were supposed to be clearing off the table?" He looked down and said, "I can't even explain it." Oh man, how my heart grew with God's grace at that moment. So sweet to be five years old and willing to be honest that way. How many times should I just say, "I can't even explain it" instead of trying to excuse or justify myself. We're without excuse when we sin before our Lord, and we're fully dependent on His grace. It was a wonderful moment for the two of us, and one of those poignant reminders of how much my kids teach me.