Tonight I had a few extra moments with three of my four children at bedtime. I'm glad I didn't rush through it, as I normally would.
They had been in bed for about half an hour and I actually thought they all might be sleeping as I finished cleaning up the kitchen, but I heard Annie on the stairs. I dried my hands and walked upstairs with her, then followed her onto the bottom bunk bed. We whispered in the glow of a princess night-light. Then I rubbed the back of her hand, still soft and round in the early months after her third birthday. I thought about how quickly that toddler hand will lose the dimples and bony knuckles will appear. It won't be long until she'll be dressing, brushing teeth, and even fixing her hair independently (she already does give these tasks her best effort). In the darkness she held her "Toddler Mulan" doll close and I smiled to see her dark curls mix with the doll's curls across her cheek.
This season, when the helpless outnumber the helpful, will soon pass. Prayerfully, I'll treasure these moments in my heart, and be content in all these seasons of mothering my brood.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Insignificant
Sometimes it's the six-year-old that doesn't want to go to his sister's ballet practice.
Sometimes it's the three-year-old that isn't quite ready for bed.
Sometimes it's the almost five-year-old that just wants to play a little bit longer.
Sometimes it's the baby that has spent too much time in the car seat for one day.
And sometimes it's their mommy.
We cry out with fatigue and frustration and our voices float through the air and we hope that they will land on attentive ears. We hope someone will hear, recognize, acknowledge, validate, and act on our behalf.
It is often so very difficult when we feel like we're just being moved along by someone else and the choices they've made. We want control. We want to be the agent of change. We want our words to have power.
And they do.
We are a reflection of our Creator, the One who spoke the world into being (Genesis 1), the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1), and we have His words which can do more to sustain us than bread. We also have the promise that we have a God who hears when no one else seems to be listening.
Sometimes it's the three-year-old that isn't quite ready for bed.
Sometimes it's the almost five-year-old that just wants to play a little bit longer.
Sometimes it's the baby that has spent too much time in the car seat for one day.
And sometimes it's their mommy.
We cry out with fatigue and frustration and our voices float through the air and we hope that they will land on attentive ears. We hope someone will hear, recognize, acknowledge, validate, and act on our behalf.
It is often so very difficult when we feel like we're just being moved along by someone else and the choices they've made. We want control. We want to be the agent of change. We want our words to have power.
And they do.
We are a reflection of our Creator, the One who spoke the world into being (Genesis 1), the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1), and we have His words which can do more to sustain us than bread. We also have the promise that we have a God who hears when no one else seems to be listening.
Psalm 145:17-19
New International Version (NIV)
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
and faithful in all he does.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)