Skip to main content

Lean Into the God who Gives True Rest

 It’s 3am, our infant is beginning to stir and wake. She is hungry again after only two hours since she nursed last. I have to will my eyes open, suffer the pain of staying awake while truly exhausted. I think how nice it will be when she sleeps through the night and yet, these sweet little fingers holding mine. Her soft breaths of contentment reveal her trust in me.

It’s 4 am, I can’t sleep. I walk by my toddler’s room, see her sweet curls, finger wrapped around them. It has been a rough day, temper tantrums in the middle of the store, refusal to nap. How sweet now, as she lays on her pastel butterfly sheets clutching her “Lambie.”

It’s 12:30am, she’s still not home. I will my eyes to stay open, waiting for her to come through the door. I start to worry, I shouldn’t. She’s always been responsible, she has a good group of friends. But what if...? What about...?

My prayer in these moments is that God would protect my children, wrap his loving arms around them. They are His first. Help me to trust you, Lord, to not be afraid or anxious. Some days I feel it is too hard, I am too tired. In your strength, though, I can be the mom and wife you call me to be. I can choose patience over anger, quiet wisdom over loud rebuke, quality time over selfish desires. 

Psalm 61:2-3 From the ends of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.
2 Corinthians 12:9-11But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

How do you seek God’s strength in these moments? How tired are you feeling right now as a parent?  How can I pray for you? 


     
  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Close to His Heart

                                                 We had just finished pushing Thomas the Train down the track to meet up with his red friend James, and read the last few pages of  Curious George Gets a Medal . It was time to get our coats on and head home for nap time, crossing my fingers he didn't fall asleep in the car. I pulled his blueberry hat over his ears to bear the Massachusetts winter chill, and guided his little arms into the royal blue marshmallow puff coat I thought would be so warm. Yet, now, the coat was an object of regret because what two year old wouldn't scream in opposition to being bound like a mummy, unable to move.  I wasn't sure if it was the coat or not wanting to leave, but the wailing began.     Feet stomping, throwing himself on the floor kicking, he screamed, “No, Mommy, I don't want to go home!No,...

Marriage

My husband loves to grow roses and is truly successful at doing so. He grew up on a farm and has absorbed the green thumb of knowing how much fertilizer, when to prune, how often to water. I am keenly aware lately of how marriage can be viewed much like a rose; going through seasons of growth, seasons of dormancy, sometimes needing extra encouragement and attention, sometimes flourishing with very little focus. We have grown up together, since I was 15, and he 16. We are now nearing 40. Our eyes and hearts were absorbed with each other, having very few responsibilities or distractions. As time has passed, the joys and frustrations of raising children; dealing with finances; learning to share the burden of added responsibilities have caused us to hurt one another, question, fail to appreciate. There have been moments of wanting to give up, years even of failing to communicate well. But, through it all, there are several truths that have held us fast, kept us strong, nurtured us in our ...