“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Have ever been in the middle of an extremely frustrating moment and someone tells you, “You’re going to look back on this and laugh” or, “You’re going to miss these moments one day!”
My son has never been a particularly good sleeper. He has what you would call a “fear of missing out.” He has always been extremely curious and has a hard time letting himself fully calm down to sleep. As an infant, he would be almost asleep with droopy eyes then pop them awake fighting his sleep. Now as a two-year-old it’s still just as tough. We have a set routine; calm down with mama and daddy, read books, songs, cuddle time, and our prayers. Believe me, we have tried everything under the sun. No matter the time or how we put him to bed it takes over an hour for him to fall asleep.
If we don’t sit with him he comes out every 2 minutes. If we sit with him, he talks our ears off, flips and flops, asked to be held, then asked to be patted, but of course you aren’t doing it the right way, then wants to hold hands, and my personal favorite, “It’s not napping time mama, it’s silly time!” Many times, it seems like there is no good solution which can be frustrating. It is in these moments, right when we are about to reach our breaking point, he will look up with his sparkling blue eyes and say, “Mama, hugs, and sugars- you’re so pretty?” or, “It’s ok Mama, I pat you too!” and begins to pat my back in comfort. What really gets me is when he rolls over and happily exclaims, “God thank you for mama and daddy, Amen!”
Let’s face it, parenting is hard. There are so many opinions out there on what is right and wrong in the ways of raising children. Parenting is filled with worry, self-doubt, testing and exhausting moments. Every time I’m met with a buildup of frustration and anxiety, a little voice whispers, “You are going to miss this! You’ll look back on this and laugh at all the sweet and funny things he says!” If we can lift up a prayer of gratitude in these times, we can remind ourselves these little moments far outweigh any of the challenging moments. Let’s laugh in the moment instead of waiting till we already miss them and let’s give thanks to God for the precious moments we have for we all know they WILL go by way too fast.
Meredith Lee, St. Luke’s Children’s Center Management
