This Moment

"The days are long, but the years are short."

I hear that so often as a mom of young children. And I believe it's true. And I really do want to cherish each moment with my boys...really. But some moments are a lot more difficult to cherish than others when you are in the middle of them.

Like the moment my 3-year-old spilled his milk all over the newly cleaned rug and made milk footprints everywhere as he went crying from room to room, while my 1-year-old went crawling and splashing through the milk puddle. Yeah. I wasn't thinking, "Wow, I just want to cherish this precious moment" as I was cleaning every floor in the house.

Or the time my son had a blowout diaper 20 steps from entering the White House, and we had nothing with us except an empty bottle. Definitely not a "savor the moment" moment.

Potty training. Need I say more??

Yes, I can laugh about these moments now (and often do), but I know there are parents out there who will agree with me that they initially are no fun. "Why did I ever ask for children?" may or may not pass through the mind during such times.

I have also found that with motherhood comes a loss of freedom. Are there any other moms who, like me, wonder things like, "Will I ever get to go to the bathroom alone?" I have forgotten what a hot meal tastes like, or what it means to sit down at the table and not have to feed two other people plus myself. And to moms of newborns...there is hope. You WILL sleep again!

Parenting is hard. The hardest job in the world, in my opinion. So why do we have kids? A more interesting question for those of us who have at least one already is...why do we have MORE kids?

The answer is found in the other moments. For example:

Today, I was putting my 3-year-old down for a nap. I noticed he was particularly squirmy and was going to give sleep a good fight. So I stayed in his room and laid my head on the pillow next to his sweet little face. After a little more squirming, he rolled over, threw his little arm around my neck and closed his eyes. I can't exactly explain what I felt, except to say that I felt a great deal of love for him.

Then I remembered something that made this time even more special. I remembered that I prayed for this moment.

I prayed for a child. I prayed that my child would feel loved and would love me. I prayed for his health. I prayed for another child. I prayed for the day I would see them walk. I prayed for the day I would hear them say, "I love you." I prayed for so many things regarding my children. And God is so faithful! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

That doesn't mean that God is my genie, and He gives me everything I ask for. (If that were the case, Drew would have been a girl...but I'm so glad he isn't.) He gives me just what I need. That's better than giving me what I want, because He knows what is best for me.

The point is this:

Moms and dads, the next time you have a not-so-cherishable moment with your kids, cling to the moments that remind you why you wanted children. Remember the times when love is evident. And maybe it will take hours instead of days, months or years for you to look back and laugh at the crazy times in your day.

"The days are long, but the years are short." Today they are preschoolers. Tomorrow they are in college. And we will crave moments when they sit in our laps or hug our necks when they sleep.

And keep praying for them, no matter their ages. Because God is listening. And He is faithful!

"Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God, my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not. Thy compassions, they fail not.
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."
(Excerpt from the hymn "Great is Thy faithfulness.")