“SIX more mornings and my children begin summer break!” –
said with a smile on my face! Why am I
excited? Doesn’t that mean more fighting
at home, scrounging for babysitters daily and higher groceries bills? Well, maybe, but I choose that over the past
few mornings. Take late nights due to
baseball and a tired little girl; add it with early mornings and a few outside
factors and you have destructive mornings.
Let me explain a little further. . .
The night before, clothes are chosen, shoes by the door,
lunches packed, backpacks ready, showers taken and everything set up for a
smooth departure in the morning. Something
magical happens overnight to change all of that. Once the alarm rings, I begin the
process. One child rises just fine, gets
dressed and continues with the routine (that we have been doing for
years). Then, my other precious little
one (not mentioning any names) chooses to avoid the alarm and remain like a
rock in HER bed. After speaking her name
loudly about ten times, she rolls over growling at me, “I am getting up.” Which I retort, “It does not appear that you
are moving at all.” Once feet hit the
floor, she moves to the couch and sits like a rock; this time I move the
process along with a few threats. Then
IT happens. Excuses fly out from nowhere. A portion of her outfit doesn’t work out (so
we change like three times), nothing in the FULL cabinet sounds good for
breakfast and for some reason she does not want to go to school. Tears flow, persistent foot stomping occurs
and frustration boils in me.
One morning the reason for not going to school was that her
regular teacher would not be present. I
tried to empathized but failed miserably.
I had to be the logical one laying out every reason why she must get
ready NOW and get out the door. She
cried uncontrollably the entire route to school. I had to get her out of the van, pry her
hands off the entrance doors and hand her off to a teacher. As I sank back in the driver’s seat, I
cried. Why can’t I just take her in my
arms, return back home, eat popcorn and watch movies all day with her? I want to save her from the sadness, the
troubles and stress of going to school.
But, I must be the disciplinary and teach her of responsibilities,
working through daily trials and coming out stronger than before. I am not so sure I read the fine print on
parenting before signing up. I gave this
one to God and asked for her protection and that she knows I love her despite
the actions of the last hour.
Parenting is tough! Oh,
but aren’t we just like my child described above? Once the alarm rings, the process
begins. We really don’t feel like
getting up, so we hit snooze and lay like a rock in bed. Finally, after the tenth nudge from our
spirit, we arise. Once feet hit the
floor, we slowly walk through the house dreading the day which lay ahead. We flood ourselves with excuses. Our outfit does not fit right or looks
hideous once we see our reflection.
Nothing sounds good, or we don’t have time for breakfast; so, we leave
starving. The list of reasons why we
would like to stay home is endless. God
watches this take place and would love to intervene. . .but we don’t ask
Him. He would love to empathize with our
circumstances and clear our vision for the adventure He planned for our day. .
.but we don’t trust Him. Without the
presence of our ultimate Teacher, we cannot function successfully through the
day. Tears flow, stubborn actions
persist, stress arises and spiritual destruction results.
God would love to save us from sadness, troubles, stress,
exhaustion and frustration. Guess what
my friend, He can! All we must do is
ASK, TRUST and receive His WISDOM. Every
morning begins anew. The slate clears
and our adventure begin. We cannot
fathom the glorious tasks God laid out for the day. But, it all begins with us doing our part
(which He will not do for us) – waking up, giving nourishment to our bodies,
appreciating the body given to us and looking to Him for clear vision. He will take us and protect each step, love through
trials and shine brightly to others through our actions. Instead of counting down our days, let us live
one at a time and enjoy the adventure.
No matter the circumstance, He provides.
Ask Him into your day and trust Him with the plan. He will provide wisdom to know what to do in
any and every situation. His promise
remains. . .He will not take you anywhere that His grace cannot cover.
The next morning went much smoother in the Craig household
as I reached up to Him for help with my daughter. Lessons were learned in a loving environment
and she walked into school without tears.
All went well when my attitude changed and I the task given by my Father
to love this child I have been blessed with and fulfill the mother role given
to me. Thank you God for trusting me
with this adventure - parenting.
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig
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