Last week my daughter, son, daughter-in-law and I took baby Liam to Cleveland to meet his great grandparents. Liam is their first great grandchild so it was a momentous occasion. Holding this precious little bundle in his arms inspired my dad to reminisce about the arrivals of his and my mom's nine children and the craziness of life during those times. We laughed together over his anecdotes and I know John and Bethany, the new parents, felt reassured that they will survive the adjustment phase they are in right now. Memories of my own early motherhood experiences came flooding back to me and I found myself wishing I had known a little more back then! How often I found myself perplexed - desperately wanting to do the right thing, but not always being able to discern what the right thing was. My parents had instilled in me a habit of asking God for help in any situation, no matter how small. Praying about night feedings, whether to use a pacifier, when to potty train, how to handle my darling whose favorite word was "mine"...all of these moments were worthy of taking a moment to ask God to give me wisdom. James 1:5 has become one of my all time favorite parenting verses and I still need it daily!
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
I love this verse! It's okay for me to be needy! God doesn't mind and He welcomes my questions. He never says, "I would have thought you could figure this one out." or "Haven't you learned this by now?" It's really as simple as coming to God with my problem and opening my heart and mind to what He may show me. I've stopped wishing that God would write the answer in the sky for me because I've found that if I really quiet my heart and listen for His answer, it always comes to me! Sometimes the answer comes through my husband or a friend; other times it comes through the Bible or a book on parenting. My own children have sometimes had the answer for me - if I'm humble enough to receive it! As time passes, I'm becoming more comfortable with not having all the answers. I'm becoming more patient in waiting on God to show me the answer. Perhaps most importantly, I'm getting to know the God who is all wise. Nothing ever takes Him by surprise or confuses Him. His wisdom is infinite so I can rest in that knowledge through all of my days. As I start a new week, who knows what is ahead for me? My wise God knows and that's enough for me!
~Joy Herman
I wish there was a "like" button on here! So many times I feel like I can do it. I don't need any body's help, not even God's! It's nice to be told, it's okay to ask for help. And it's good to know a generous God, who will be there whenever I need him. No matter how insignificant the request may seem, He cares.
ReplyDeleteAsking for wisdom; I feel like that is all I have done this morning! And I feel like a fool for having to ask at every turn, that and a reprobate for needing to ask for patience with the wisdom. Thank you for reminding me that my need doesn't diminish me, that the asking doesn't make me a bad mother, and that it is He who will make me into the mother I am to be.
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