A baby’s nap is pure gold to a mother, and I can’t begin to tell you all the lengths I’ve gone to preserve rest time in our house. But the Lord has been teaching me that when a baby misses a nap, it’s not just about being off schedule. It’s an opportunity to depend on God for grace to make it through the rest of the day.
When the toddler spills the cereal all over the floor, it’s not just about the mess. It’s an opportunity to confess frustration to the Lord and ask him to make it a teachable moment with the toddler.
When the kids are slow to find (let alone put on) their shoes, it’s not just about arriving somewhere on time. It’s an opportunity to choose self-control and instruct them.
When a teen comes home later than expected, it’s not just about curfew. It’s an opportunity to trust the Lord to watch over his coming and going.
When parenting situations stir up our hearts, we’re invited to respond; how we respond to that invitation matters. Will we give in to our flesh or walk by the Spirit? [1]
Parenting is a lot of things, like humbling and hard work and a privilege and rewarding; but in the life of a Christian, it can also be sanctifying. God works all things—even the gritty moments of parenting—for the good of those who love him. That good is to conform us to the image of his Son. [2]
Friends, it ought to encourage us that the very same moments with our children that test our patience the most also invite us to become more like Jesus. In God’s hands, they aren’t meaningless but purposeful, and he can do something really good in us through them.
[1] Galatians 5
[2] Romans 8:28-29
Katie Faris 