You may be a parent when your toddler is screaming that she won’t take a nap, while you yourself would love one.
You may be a parent when your fifth grader is threatening to leave home if you make her do any more writing homework, while you yourself would love to have time to write.
You may be a parent when you would love to have someone make you a healthy dinner from scratch, but you only have time to make one dinner and do not feel like listening to your children complain yet again tonight, so you are eating a plate of gross hot dogs and cheap mac ‘n cheese because your children don’t even like good hot dogs or homemade macaroni and cheese…
Being a parent is definitely not on anyone’s list of easy things to do. Raising children to adulthood and, (let’s be honest) beyond, is an uphill battle most of the time. Sure there are rewards such as baby snuggles, cute smiles with a first missing tooth, a scribbled card for your birthday and I am told–eventually grandkids! However, trying to just raise kids one day at a time is a challenge.
I have been reading recently about Moses trying to lead the Israelites through the desert. It seriously sounds like trying to take my children somewhere! They had the same complaints I hear: I’m starving, I’m thirsty, I’m tired, I want to go home, (back to Egypt.) God gave Moses a big job and he approached it with a lot of humility, self-sacrifice and a huge dependence on God.
It was encouraging to read because these are the same qualities I need in order to guide my children through childhood into adulthood. It is comforting to know that I can ask God to help me any time I need it and that He is always with me on this journey. Also like Moses, I need to remember that first and foremost my children belong to God and He loves them even more than I do. He knows the plans He has for them and He already knows each of their stories.
So while parenting will probably never make the top ten easiest occupations list, it is certainly on my list of the most rewarding. Not only do I get to raise some pretty great kids, but I have the opportunity to be refined by God in the process. Even if I have to force my child to go take a bath when I myself would love one!
“Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.” Proverbs 14:26
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