Now that my kids are grown up and I have the ability to look back and see….just how far we've all come, I get it! I get what God was doing with me and in my kids lives all those very important years. While I've always been a believer that God has a plan, back when I was in the mama trenches….it was what I clinged to most. How else can a mom to 3 under 4 hang on to her sanity believing anything but GOD HAS A PLAN?
It was there, in the hidden years that God was using me to mold my children into the people He wanted them to be…..someday.
I won't lie, I grew weary! I fell short. I complained and felt many days like I didn't count for anything. Or that I was wasting who I was as a person. Don't get me wrong, I loved being a mom. But if you've ever been a stay-at-home mom with a bunch of kids….losing your identity is one of the biggest challenges you can face. Those times sneak in and try to rob you, don't let it steal your joy or desire to give up being THE MOM GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE!
The hidden years are the most important in your children's lives.
I hear it all the time, your kids are only little for a little while! Every time I speak to or see one of my grown kids my heart reminds my brain….."Just yesterday, you were looking down into that face!". Our "little while" sped by at mock speed leaving me with sweet memories and thankfulness that I hung in there and did the work!
Yesterday, a friend posted a saying on Instagram about disciplining your children while they're young so you can enjoy one another when they are teenagers. I thought about that and smiled knowing how close my kids are to one another and to their dad and me. It was hard to stay consistent with training them to behave but doing it day in and day out paid off. I love being around my kids and so do other people.
I didn't have the distractions that most mom's today have…..I didn't have a blog or internet to pull my attention away from my kids needs. I was full-on, all the time! How grateful I am for that. I was needed and had I been buried in a cellphone or a laptop, I would've failed in many ways. Kids don't just turn out….well-rounded humans. It takes time, it involves sacrifice and it includes a pile of trial and error!
So, for you mama's trying to balance it all…..YOU CAN DO IT! Don't miss out on real life training with your small (for now) children because you are wrapped up in Twitter, Facebook or Instagram! Those things will not call you up and ask you, "Mom, how'd you do it…raising kids seems hard and boring?". The long days of rocking cranky kids and reading the same books over & over are worth it. Even the multiple baths each day because "someone" uses her hair as a napkin every single meal. All of it is important to what God is doing in both of your lives!
I'm certain that for me, God was using every single moment for His Glory. The hidden years gave me the advantage of taking life one day at a time and allowing me to speak God's love into each of my kids hearts. I didn't have to rush or hurry or even pound it into their heads…..every day held something teachable for them and for me.
I can laugh now when I think about how long I stayed in a nightgown somedays….when at the time, I thought I was a horrible mom! I realize our schedule was "our" schedule and we all survived! I like who they are….and I see that in spite of my many human errors, they are amazing young adults that please God with their lives.
Why would anyone want to miss out on being a part of that?
Lord
Thank you for the hidden years of my life. I see just how much I needed them. I'm so grateful for the time YOU ALLOWED me to have with each of my children. Help me to encourage other mom's to jump all the way in with the long days of raising their kids every day!
Amen