Screams from the bathroom indicate urgency, but my Spidey-sense knew the child was alone. These screams weren’t ones of pain, but something else. The trunk of the car was open as I was in the middle of emptying copious amounts of groceries, supplies for an upcoming camping trip. The fridge door was open as I got something out momentarily. The container was open as I decided which oil to diffuse to bring this day down a bit. Then, the screams. Through tears, the embarrassment, the wails, “Mommy, I was going potty and I pooped on the floor!!” Yes, sure enough, this was true. There was poop, smeared on the floor. In times past, I probably would have flown off the handle. “Really??!! How could you have done this?! You’re not a baby!” But in that moment, with poop on the floor, He met me. "It's okay honey, we'll clean it up." Remember when you metaphorically pooped on the floor? Remember when the worst part of yourself was seen? Remember when you were scared and embarrassed? How did I respond to you then? He whispered to me as I whispered to my child. Indeed in that instance, He responded with kindness. And that’s how I must respond to my frightened and embarrassed child. Reaching for the wipes and praying the siblings stay away (both to manage the mess and the embarrassment for the affected child) I cleaned and managed. Laughing a little to myself, because if you don’t laugh, you might just cry. That time I metaphorically pooped on the floor, He handled me with grace. He probably laughed knowingly. He is never shocked by my mistakes. He knows someday things won’t be so messy, but He’ll clean up the messes until then. How kind that He would give me a child that makes messes that can’t be escaped. How kind that, with all the doors open, He would impress this reminder on my heart.