Hang In There Mama!
Two weeks ago, we started sleep training our two year old daughter, and let’s just say, it has been the most exhausting process. Shia had been climbing out of her crib even with the mattress at it’s lowest level and nearly injuring her ankles, so we knew it was time to transition her to a “big girl” bed.
If you’re a Mom and have been through this process, I’m sure you can relate to the 20 times you walk them back to their bed, the countless songs you try singing to them, saying prayer after prayer, rocking them till your arms want to fall off, sitting in front of their bedroom door holding it shut while they’re pounding on the other side, the tantrums, endless patting of the back, the one more sip of water, and the guilt trip moments when they shout, “Mama, huggy!”
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar!
But aside from all that, what surprised me the most was the despair and failure I felt as a Mom during all of this. I couldn’t believe how this process drained me so much, physically, mentally, and emotionally, that even spiritually, I was losing sight of who I needed to call on to sustain me even in this...God.
Psalm 55:22 says to “cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
See, we often call on Him for the big things like a new job, wanting to get married, buying a house, getting the kids into college, etc., but we forget that in one second, we can call on His name and ask Him for something as simple as energy, patience, gentleness in our tone of voice, a sound mind and a kind attitude towards self. We also forget that we can speak scripture out loud and that it can instantly soften our hearts, give us hope, make us strong, and remind us that God made us for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).
Yes this, being a Mama; changing diapers, the thousands of hours spent doing homework, rushing to their games after a long work day, tucking them into bed night after night even when you’re so exhausted, the teenage attitude and battles with dresscode, the grocery shopping, cooking dinner and packing lunches year after year, the carpooling, the laundry, the bills, the “Donuts with Mom” days, the painful pregnancy and weight gain, the list can truly go on and on.
But remember this;
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:2-3
You are not alone. God is with you and will sustain you.
Hang in there Mama!