Jesus Sustains the Momma Through Her Children

I had just stepped away into my bedroom for a mommy break when I heard..."the babies are playing with sister's nail polish and have all the containers open." My eyes closed and I took a deep breath expecting to see polish spilled on the floor and all over their arms and legs. Luckily, I only found a few marks on my little girl's lips, the little guy's arms and my dinning room table. Even so, I was at the end of my patience and emotional control. I lost my temper and the mommy tears started to flow.

Its a beautiful thing when a child develops both compassion and a sense of wonder! Right now my two youngest have wonder that far outweighs their compassion. This often means their curiosity compels them to explore in inappropriate ways. Just this week I've cleaned up a toddler toilet play pee mess, witnessed my child making a meal out of dog food, removed a meal of toothpaste from two pairs of busy hands, saw my 3 yr old climbing on top of the covered Jacuzzi, caught my dog chewing the plug cap to the Jacuzzi (you know the one required to keep the water in), rescued my 10 year old's precious sunflower seeds from the clutches of his younger siblings and scrubbed nail polish off my dining room table and my toddlers lips. This also means mommy is tired. AND I know I'm not alone in this mommy exhaustion. I know you, my sweet reader, have many moments like this too.

So, after sending all four children to their rooms, I spent the next 45 minutes in my cry spot on the floor beside my bed. Pillows surround me from my unmade bed and I let the tears fall. My mind races with all the emotions and physical exhaustion. I let my body collapse into a ball of tears. Those tears are healing to the soul. But I've found, the healing doesn't have to stop with just the tears. There can be more. I believe there is more healing from the Lord when we are ready to be still and see it. Healing that comes from the very thing that brings the emotional and physical discomfort. Healing through our mothering experiences.

As I began my cry fest, my 7-year-old daughter walks in with a special handkerchief from her sweet Auntie. This handkerchief was hand picked out of a box of treasures from her house. When my daughter chose it, Auntie told her how it can be offered to those that might need it. "You carry a handkerchief so you can give it away" and "You hold a handkerchief so you can offer it to others." Since then, I have been offered this treasure countless times (that shows you how often I let the cries come) and it brings healing. It is a gift the Lord is giving me through my daughter. It sends a message saying "I see you hurting and I want to help." Healing.

The Lord gives each of our children many unique gifts and abilities. Compassion is a gift he has given my daughter and He uses it to sustain me. This week my daughter set up a refreshment time for me on the bathroom floor of all places. With a tub of water, foot scrubber and lotion she proceeded to joyfully wash my feet. All the while continually checking in with me "is this nice mom?" and "are you relaxed being away from the babies for a little while?" All of me wanted to stay on that hard bathroom floor for the rest of the afternoon. Her smile reflected my smile as she was using her own talents and gifts to bless another. He sustains me through my children in different ways on a daily basis. I just need to be still and quiet enough to experience it.

How does he sustain you through your children? Maybe its in a "thank you" said, a hug shared, an early morning snuggle or a chore completed without complaint. What ever the sustaining power is, may you know Jesus Christ is the ultimate sustaining power for us weary mommas and may you be still enough to see the unique and perfect ways he brings healing to you through the simple acts of a child.