"Be still and know that I am God;" Psalm 46:10
Yesterday, I got to talk to my friend Yulia. We hadn’t talked in a long time! It had been so long that we had both gotten married and had babies since we last spoke. She is from Belarus and we were both on the Campus Crusade staff team serving in Minsk a few years back. Her husband is an American and they are staying with his family in Indiana as they prepare to go back to Albania where they are currently assigned. Talking to her made me realize that being a parent of a young child is similar in many ways to living in Belarus. Any of you who have been there know what I mean. Instead of packing a day with appointments and classes, running from one thing to the next, I had to be satisfied with accomplishing one or two tasks each day. Everything takes longer in Minsk due to public transportation, the relational lifestyle, and the random hours that various businesses are open during the week (among other things!).
Being a mom is so much like that. I have an idea each day of what I would like to accomplish. Depending on Lewis’ mood, naps etc., there are few days that turn out how I would expect. Yulia passed on some words a friend of hers had shared recently. I can’t quote her exactly but the sentiment was to relax! We can fight it, but in the end it is much easier to go with the flow. God knew what he was doing when he gave us our children, and if our list goes undone there is probably a reason. Often the Lord, like Lewis much of the time, just wants my attention. I’m sure he appreciates the acts of service I try to do for him, but more than any of that he wants my heart. Why is it so hard to remember it is that simple?
4 comments:
I'm so glad you got to catch up with Yulia. I'm assuming she has had her baby. What did they have?
It is so true about life with children being like life overseas!!!! I love the analogy. I'm finally learning and living in the "go with the flow" attitude after baby #2.
Janie (and anyone else who knows Yulia)--she had a baby boy on January 4th (her due date). He weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and they are calling him Tosha which is the Russian form of Anthony.
I'm glad you relate to the overseas analogy. Being laid back is great once you get into it! It seems harder to be flexible in our culture for some reason. Maybe another baby would help. :)
I often wonder that too! Why is it so hard to grasp such a simple thought - just relax and go with the flow. Do you think it is because we want things done on OUR time? I sometimes feel that I read to many books saying "don't let the children rule your life, blah blah or you have to lay down the law or such things like that." Then I think - oh I can't give in at all or else he won't know I mean business....does that make sense?? Elijah is such a happy little boy, so something must be right - but when things don't go my way example: he wakes up really cranky from a nap or gets way cranky before he is suppose to go down...then I get frusterated a bit. I should just let things happen...ummm...it is a thought!
What my friend said to me was, "SURRENDER" - surender it all to God - your body, thoughts, heart, attitudes! Fighting will only hurt more!
Few days ago I caught myself being deeply disapointed because I felt like my son took something that belonged to me-I expected him to take a nap and had al these things in mind I was going to do while he is sleeping,.. well, guess what,.. he cried most of that "nap time" and then it was a time to nurse him AGAIN and he cried AGAIN,..By the end of the day I was exhosted and when he finally slept I didn't feel like doing anything but vegging in front of the TV. I think our problems accepting the new flow of things that babies bring into our lives are related to a taught pattern that we have RIGHTS to certain things which is completely unbiblical. We assume that we have rights to have a painless birth, food, warm house, a car, time to rest and do things that we enjoy,.. you can continue my list. However, after the Fall, from God's perspective there is nothing we own, nothing we have a right to expect but hardship, pain, suffering and death for such is the world we live in, such our world has become because of corruption trigered by the sin. The fact that we can enjoy things that we can is totally and exclusivelly because of God's mercy and God's grace to us. Rest in this truth and praise God for His goodness to us all! Yulia
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