If you have ever had two children close in age then you know the feeling. The feeling that everything is about to get more complicated, more chaotic.
3 years ago today, I was a scared mother about to give birth to my second daughter. My girls would be 14 1/2 months apart and I was terrified at what this change would mean for our family.
My husband and I had finally sorted out our routine with our energetic toddler. She was sleeping through the night, eating healthy foods and napping everyday. Although, life was about to get a little more challenging.
Adelaide was also my first natural birth. I wanted to fully rely on God’s strength to get me through the birthing process. Ever since this little girl was growing in my womb, I knew God was calling me to be less dependent on my own abilities and more dependent on Him.
I trusted that with His strength I would get through labor and I would also get through having two children, two and under. As my girls have gotten older, they consistently remind me that I need my Savior to be the mother I am called to be.
Do your kids ever remind you of the bigger picture?
Many times my sensitive girl will run to me, put her arms around my leg, and cry three little words.
“I need you.” Those are the three words that my child says when her older sister hurts her or she falls down and gets hurt. She’s my emotional girl and she needs me.
It’s easy for me to know her personality because it’s so similar to mine. When her feelings are hurt or she’s embarrassed, I can see me in her.
These three words that my little girl says to me, reminds me that she is desperate and struggling. Her big feelings feel uncontrollable and she needs her mom to help.
She doesn’t understand now but someday she will comprehend that Mommy gets frustrated too. Mommy feels overwhelmed with the screaming and the tantrums.
She helps me remember that like she needs me, I need my Heavenly Father to guide me. I’m reminded to run to my Father and drop everything to cry out, “I need you” because I can’t do this without You.
So, why do I NEED God?
– I need his grace, gentleness, self-control, and more:
Our Father is gentle and loving to us even when we throw fits because things aren’t going the way that we want them to go. He comforts us and gives joy when we are down or when someone has treated us wrong.
Even as adults, we struggle with losing our temper and raising our voices when life is hard. We need the grace of God and His unfailing love to remind us of His plan.
The struggles of this world are not important, only He is and we must truly believe that to get through each day.
– I need examples and mentors:
When life feels hard or overwhelming, I pray for God to use someone to rise up and be called to speak a word of encouragement to me.
Whether it’s a lady at the grocery store that reminds me that I’m blessed or a family member that tells me they are proud of me for teaching my children about Christ.
Those little words of encouragement bring warmth to my heart and emphasize my role as a parent. Also, God has used other bloggers and speakers that are either going through a similar situation or have been through it in the past.
– I need purpose:
We all long for a reason to live and a reason to keep going when life gets hard. Some days I feel like I’m just counting down the seconds until nap time so that I can have two hours of interrupted me-time.
Although, once thirty minutes is up, I’m already missing my kids and watching them sleep on the baby monitor. It’s easy to focus on what is difficult, especially when we feel like no one understands, but mamas, God has given us a purpose.
He has given us little ones that watch our every move. It’s our job to mold their hearts to love and serve Jesus. It’s our responsibility to make sure that they have the strength to resist temptation and to do what is right. This is the bigger picture.
This is why we keep going with a smile on our face. Just like when I was in labor and experiencing my first natural birth, I knew my baby was coming. Even though it was hard and painful, I kept going because I knew that their was purpose in my pain.
We can learn so much from our kids but it means that we must slow down and listen to what they are telling us. It’s easy for me to try to distract Adelaide when she is crying and screaming, “I need you.” But when I really think about what she is saying, I must stop what I’m doing and comfort her. God is never too busy for us and I must never be too busy for my sweet children.
