As you all know, we have been blessed with a job for Joshua and a place to call home near our family in our hometown. This is a season of cardboard box towers, sorting through closet containers of “unknown” and deciding whether to keep or toss, and painting and settling in to a new home (and gratitude for such wonderful, helpful family!) I have missed blogging regularly, but sometimes “real life” has to take precedence.
I’m so honored to have Tiffany, from Don’t Waste the Crumbs, guest posting for me today!
I’d like to share a verse that’s been weighing heavily on my heart lately.
Psalm 127.3: Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
You see on most days, the first word that comes to mind when I think of my daughter isn’t “reward.”
photo credit
In the midst of an important mommy-daddy conversation in our kitchen, she makes up words to her own songs and sings them boldly while spinning around in circles (read as “she’s loud”). She’s the first to rise in the morning (before any alarm clock has a chance to ring) and after nap and the first thing she asks for in both occasions is a snack, and those snacks are often found decorating the carpet and kitchen floors (read as “she’s messy”). Despite pleas and consequences for stepping on and ruining her brother’s train tracks, she continues to prefer the tracks not touching each other and instead, scattered randomly all over the living room floor (read as “she’s an instigator”). Too often I get irritated and annoyed at the constant “I need” or “fix this” or “help me’s” that echo the walls of the house every day.
Just this morning my “reward” put a ball of tissue in her nose – and it got stuck. My thought process started with “What were you thinking?!” although I’m pretty sure that’s not a proper question to ask a three year old. I tilted her head back and thought “Wow, that’s pretty far in there…” and mentally gave some credit to the girl for going above and beyond “getting the job done.”
Being the MacGyver mom that I am (not), I pulled out my tweezers, told her to hold very still and gently pulled the tiny ball of tissue out of her nose.
An emergency trip to the emergency room for a non-emergency averted.
While part of inner-me was in panic mode (that tissue was really far, like almost-over-the-bone-and-into-the-nasal-cavity-far), there was another part of me that was laughing right along with her. I mean, sticking a ball of tissue into your nose really is kinda funny!
But I must confess – my initial attitude toward her was incredibly selfish. She came to me, interrupted whatever less important task I was working on (so less important that I don’t even remember what it was). I felt that my task should have taken priority. But as the episode of tissue removal played on, my selfishness was cast aside by my daughter pleading for my help and I soon realized the privilege it was to be the first one she called to her aid.
I remember when my daughter was first born. People were so excited to meet her and everyone enjoyed holding the precious newborn baby. But the fact that she was being held by strangers wasn’t lost on my daughter. No more than 10 minutes after being in someone else arms would pass by and she would start crying. The stranger would rock, bounce and whisper hushing sounds, but they couldn’t calm her. Slightly offended that they couldn’t make her stop crying, they’d pass her back to me and in that instant, her crying stopped and she was at ease. Mommy made it all better. I loved that feeling and that memory is still one of my favorites.
What I hadn’t realized was that today was no different. My daughter got tissue stuck in her nose and she came to me because she knew that I could make it all better. Viewing the situation through the eyes of God’s Word reminds me that the quiet moments spent together in the rest of “all better” are gifts more precious than anything wrapped in paper.
These moments erase all the pain and turmoil that we endure amongst the trials with our children. These are the moments that make me look forward to the next time she’ll get tissue stuck in her nose – because I know she’ll ask me for help, and I’ll make it all better. What a wonderful gift from the Lord.
Bio: Tiffany is an in-house day care teacher, private chef, housekeeper, laundry service, chauffeur and dedicated CEO to making sure her house runs smoothly. She aims to be a good steward of all He has given her, so she strives to do more {and do it better} with less. She’s making baby-sized strides and would be honored if you joined her for the ride!
Follow Feminine Adventures!