If we didn't have enough going on already, between work, maintaining relationships with our friends and family, caring for a home which includes, quite possibly, a pet of some sort and of course, pursuing a romantic relationship, then life tacks on a baby.
A baby, is a baby. Impossible not to love and superior in our hierarchy system to many of these other responsibilities. The problem is, just because a baby appears doesn't mean the other things disappear. So we find ourselves having to live life as it were, but now, as a mom or dad.
Somehow by the grace of God we manage.
We juggle everything at once and many of us say that we wouldn't do a thing differently, and probably, we wouldn't. But can we all agree that it's not always easy? That walking through life with the constant reminder that another human being relies solely on us can be a daunting thought?
I often think about Mary (as in the mother of Jesus). I think about how she must have felt giving birth to, and raising the actual Son of God. I think about her pregnancy and her unassisted manger birth. I think about how she may have decided how to deal with toddler conflicts and sibling rivalry. I think about how her and Joseph may have talked to Jesus about sex and love, or even what they did when Jesus accidentally pooped his tunic because he was too busy playing to go to the bathroom. I think about this all in the context of Mary raising JESUS, God's actual child.
I think "Holy smokes! You must have been a woman of so much grace. You also must have gone crazy at least 4 days out of the week!"
I hear a still and small voice whisper to me: "You are raising a child of God as well."
Ummm... was that supposed to make me feel better?
I continue thinking to myself, "well, the child of God that I am raising walked out of the bathroom with a razor in her mouth the other day. She also decided she wanted to only pee outside on the ground like a dog from now on, and lately (at the bold age of 2) she has taken to calling her parents by their first names."
Just as I am feeling like a complete failure I remember the story of Mary and Joseph traveling on a long journey back home when they realize that they haven't seen Jesus in three whole days. They lost Jesus!
The revelation almost makes me giddy. Mary and Joseph actually LOST the Son of God and well, He came out perfect!
I hear the voice again "You too, are a woman of grace."
Parenting is a tough job. And none of ure at perfect at it nor are our precious children perfect. But with God's grace we raise our children the best we can, rely on friends & family for support or advice and most importantly bathe our children in prayer daily.
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