I love having a tidy house. I love clean spaces and clear countertops. And I absolutely hate clutter. As my three-year-old says, “Mommy don’t like messes.” Guilty as charged.
Nothing puts me on edge more than a disordered home. Everything in our house has a “place,” and my dear, sweet husband and children have learned that my mood can be greatly affected by whether or not things find their way back to their “place” by the end of the day. I’m fully aware that at times this tendency can turn me into “Hulk Mommy”—which is most certainly not a fruit of the Spirit. But we’re here for transparency, so I’ll say upfront: this is a trait I work hard to balance.
I genuinely believe God created us to live in order and not chaos—first, because the Bible says so, and second, because I simply cannot function otherwise. Humans thrive in order and structure. It’s just a fact of life. I witness it in my own classroom every day.
Order vs. Chaos: Parenting Two Opposites
My husband would say I’ve mellowed out some over the years—mostly through parenting Dani. You see, Dani doesn’t yet see the value of order and structure. She doesn’t care if there’s toothpaste in the sink or dirty clothes on the floor. She doesn’t remember where she put the signed form we sent to school that morning. At any given moment, she’s “missing” at least one item she left home with that day.
To say we have opposite priorities would be an understatement. I’ve worked tirelessly for nine years—most days in vain—to teach her the ways of order and structure passed down to me by my (probably a little OCD) mother. And still, I wake up each morning to toothpaste in the sink and clothes on the floor. Send help.
But then something crazy happened: the second child was born.
You know how people say your children will have opposite personalities? I never really believed that. Same DNA, same home, same family dynamic, same upbringing. Nature and nurture, nearly identical.
I was expecting the same battles with Annie Jett that I had with Dani. They even looked identical. When Annie Jett was born and the doctor handed her to me for the first time, I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is Dani again as an infant.”
But I was fooled. Their personalities could not be more different.
One House, Two Personalities
The most noticeable difference? Their approach to organization.
There’s Dani—our disorganized, chaotic, happy-go-lucky mess. She’s unbothered when her shirts end up in the sock drawer and can’t tell you where her shoes are at any given time. She has a stain on nearly every piece of clothing she owns. She somehow manages to lose or break something almost every day. She tells me, “It’s not that big of a deal, Mama,”—which may or may not push my last strand of patience right over the edge.
Then there’s Annie Jett.
She knows where every piece of clothing belongs. She lines up her shoes neatly on the closet shelf as soon as she takes them off. She’s memorized where each piece of every toy set belongs and expects them to be returned to the correct place. She demands hands be washed and clothes be changed at the first hint of dirt or food.
Finally—a child who loves order and cleanliness as much as I do!
Sounds wonderful, right?
Well, it is… until it isn’t.
Until Daddy puts the blue shirt with the pink shorts that “don’t go together.”
Until Mommy hands her the wrong cup because all the others are in the dishwasher.
Until we forget the wet wipes at the park and her hands get dirty.
Or my personal favorite—until the one-inch Daisy Duck figurine from that particular playset goes missing.
The Great Daisy Duck Crisis
This actually happened a few weeks ago.
First thing in the morning—foggy-minded, still waiting for my first cup of coffee—an Annie Jett meltdown ensued. In case you missed the memo, we are Disney people. We love all things Disney. Annie Jett may actually love Disney more than she loves us.
Because of that, we own a ridiculous number of Disney toys, including dozens of what Annie Jett calls “characters.” This particular morning, her Minnie Mouse boat was missing its matching Daisy Duck. And in her little mind, the world stopped spinning.
We searched the house from top to bottom. Every toy bin, every playset, under the couch, in the cabinets. Daisy was gone.
Never mind that she has several other Daisy Ducks that could’ve filled in—that specific Daisy Duck had to be found.
And so began the saga. Three weeks later, Daisy is still missing. And sweet Annie Jett has not forgotten. She continues to look, and she reminds me daily that Daisy still hasn’t turned up.
A Parable in the Mess
As I sat in my quiet time reading this week, I came across a parable that brought it all into focus. I thought,
“God sees us the way Annie Jett sees her Daisy Duck.”
If you have a Bible—and I hope you do—turn with me to Luke 15:1–7.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’
So he told them this parable:
‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’”
God Pursues Like a Loving Parent
As we searched for Daisy, I kept thinking, “This is crazy. She has ten others she could play with!”
And yet—I couldn’t shake the image of Luke 15.
The way Annie Jett feels about that one lost Daisy Duck?
That’s how Jesus feels about us.
The Bible says He leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one. Why? Because we are valuable to Him. Because we are not replaceable. Because He doesn’t just want the flock—He wants you.
He knows everything about us. Jesus says even the hairs on our head are numbered (Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30). He doesn’t pursue us because we pursue Him. No—He pursues us even when we don’t know we need Him.
I love this part:
“The sheep didn’t know it was lost. It didn’t even know the danger it was in. It wasn’t looking for the shepherd. But the good shepherd went looking anyway—‘until he found it.’”
Then what does He do?
He picks it up and carries it home.
Commentaries tell us that the shepherd carries the sheep because it’s too weak to return on its own.
Doesn’t that sound like every salvation story you’ve ever heard? It sounds like mine.
We Don’t Seek God—He Seeks Us
Romans reminds us that in our sin, we are not capable of seeking God on our own. We don’t find Him by our own effort—He finds us. We are saved not by our pursuit of Him, but by His pursuit of us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
I heard Annie Jett call out one day, “Daisy, come out, come out, wherever you are!” But of course, Daisy wasn’t going to crawl out from under the couch. She couldn’t.
And neither can we—without Jesus.
But praise God, we have a Savior who doesn’t give up.
A Savior who searches until He finds.
And when He finds us, He rejoices over us—not with scorn, but with celebration.
Today, If You Hear His Voice…
Maybe today, God is calling you. Maybe it’s the first time.
Or maybe you’ve gone astray and need to come back home.
You might be trying to find your way back in your own strength.
You might think He’s mad at you.
You might be scared to face Him.
But listen—He knows everything about you. And He loves you anyway.
He is coming after you. And He won’t give up.
You can place your burdens on His shoulders. He will carry you home.
Salvation comes from Him, not from you.
One Final Warning—and One Final Hope
Sometimes it seems like the Bible contradicts itself. This is one of those moments.
On one hand, Jesus leaves the ninety-nine to find you.
On the other hand, Scripture warns that you can resist His voice for so long that your heart becomes hardened.
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” —Hebrews 3:15
The opportunity to respond doesn’t stay open forever. You should never doubt that He’s out searching for you. But if you don’t hear Him calling…
Maybe it’s because you’ve turned the volume down.
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