After a long day of arguing over which clothes to wear and who gets what colored cup and whose turn it is to pick the bedtime story, I was worn out. Having kids can be exhausting. Can I get an amen?
Some nights I go to bed wondering if I accomplished anything that day. Wondering if I did anything right. Wondering how many ways I’ve scarred my children.
Before I went to bed on this particular day of craziness and irritation, I decided to check on our youngest. Our little spitfire. Our headstrong little girl.
I gazed at her as she slept peacefully, and it dawned on me once again just how much I love this sassy, snuggly, witty, infuriating child. Sometimes the love is so immense that it feels like my heart might actually burst.
If I’m being honest, it is sometimes difficult to feel that type of love for my children in the everyday rush and chaos of life.
However, here in the quiet, in the stillness, as I gaze at her peaceful face, I am reminded that all the pain, all the frustrations, all the struggles and inconveniences – they’re all worth it.
Recently I was studying Hebrews and I read this verse: “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Hebrews 11:23 (ESV)
What if we saw our children as “no ordinary child?” Would we parent differently? Would we expect greater things from them?
Or would we continue in the same old rut with the same old frustrations and expectations, the same old exhaustion and disappointments? Would we continue in the same old fears and misguided assumptions?
I hope that, as our eyes are opened to the precious potential of our children, we will begin to love them in a better way.
Father, help me see my children as Moses’ parents saw him. As “no ordinary child.” As extraordinary. Give me Your eyes to see the potential and possibilities in each of my children. And forgive me when I see them as less than. Guide me to parent them well and to love them as you love them.
Thank you for this. My 4th is my high-spirited difficult child. I was ready to rip out my hair yesterday with him. Thank you for encouraging us to look at a different perspective!
#Raralinkup
I totally feel your pain! It’s sometimes hard to look from a different perspective but every time I do, I have more patience and grace for my hard to handle kiddos.