March 9 – Words about Parenthood (Thanks to Luke Rakestraw, Assistant TCPC pastor, for contributing to our Parent Resource section.)
I snap like a twig. “I JUST NEED YOU TO TAKE FOUR GRATEFUL BITES!” Ah, yes, nothing like a spoonful of Mom’s morning rage to help the scrambled eggs go down. Ava takes this opportunity to remind me that she still can’t find her shoes. “PLEASE JUST GO PUT ON A DIFFERENT PAIR OF SHOES!” She stomps out of the kitchen in a huff, and I scribble “I love you!” onto a note and shove it into her lunchbox. A most charming message to receive, I’m sure, after my impersonation of Mommy Dearest.
Ironically, our family verse that we’re working on memorizing in the morning is Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Too often, my MO is, “This is the to-do list that Erin Ball has made; let us all be rushed and frantic to complete it!”
I find myself, time and again, believing that if we just woke up earlier, laid out our clothes before bed, or remembered not to put pepper on the preschooler’s eggs, then our mornings would be smooth and I would be calm and gracious. I’m not knocking systems; clearly our family could use a few. But embedded in that belief is the false assumption that this day’s success is dependent on me and my productivity, and that my attitude is contingent on my kids’ quick compliance. The verse doesn’t say, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it as long as it’s smooth and everyone cooperates!” It simply says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” We are called to rejoice in it and be glad in it, not because it meets our expectations or because our circumstances are ideal, but simply because He made it. This day, chaotic and clunky, is a gift from God.
Tonight, I hopefully will conjure up the energy to make tomorrow’s lunch and find the lost shoes before bed. But when I reflect on my day, I want my prayer to be, “Lord, thank you for these shoes to wear, this food to eat, and these babies to love. Thank you for this day that you have given us, hectic and humbling though it was. Give me patience and grace again tomorrow to lean on you, not my to-do list. Whether it’s smooth or messy, help me to rejoice and be glad in it.”
