Rope?
There comes a time when, as a parent, you are hanging on by, not a rope, but a thread. You are tired, worn out, frustrated, and you just need a break. However, these are the times I grab on to MY rope (HIM) and I hold on tight. This means I sometimes need to lay myself down, sacrifice my needs, and apply the love HE has for me to HER. Why? Because God loves little offerings. Given in faith, the time I spend with Tatum, no matter how I feel, will feed thousands someday. This I know because I am investing into her my heart and my love of Christ. He did not do what He did everyday out of how he felt. He did it for the love of His Father and for His love for others. What manifested is millions upon millions were and are blessed daily (and then they pay it forward to others)
Another realization is that my hope often can be in ever-changing circumstances. I hope for her nap. I hope that she acts perfectly at the right time. I hope that she is kind ALWAYS. Sometimes I put more faith in that than the NEVER changing circumstances of the gospel. Rachel Jankovic, in the book Mom Enough, talks about this. “By God’s grace, I can resist the temptation to treat my children as interruptions to my will for my life. Instead, God enables me to shape me into his image according to His will.” Man, that hits me hard. When I do get frustrated that she is not fitting “my plan” for the moment, that is OK. What I learn in these “interruptions” to my plan is tantamount to any plan I have had.
This is the time to “apply what I believe about God’s mercy and kindness and long-suffering towards us and pour it out to them.” This means that I need to apply this same thing to Tatum, and with this comes not only my transformation, but Tot’s as well. So I apply HIM; I don’t have the time to read my Bible for hours, nor pray like I used to, but I CAN apply his precious Gospel to her and to others.
The key is to never stop laughing (as she wears a swim diaper on her head like a helmet)
And we never stop BEING in the moment…together.
