Babies are created pretty much the same way they were long before our grandparents had stories to tell. Science has come up with some creative ways to vary the process, but it’s the same recipe. A+B always = C. I love recipes like that.
Regardless of where or when our kids are born, their basic needs are the same: they need to eat, sleep, diapers changed, and lots of loving human interaction. They don’t need it once. They don’t need it twice. They need it every single day. Once a day would be nice, like caring for a goldfish, but no. It’s multiple times a day. They need it right about the time that a hot meal is ready. They need it every few hours during the night. More when they’re teething. They need it whether there’s money for diapers or not. They impose complete dependence on the fiercely independent. And that’s where things get sticky. The fail-proof recipe that produced that chubby little blessing now needs more upkeep than anything else in the house. The recipe’s tricky that way. It’s not in the fine print. It can leave even the most nurturing parent feeling totally duped.
It did me.
I will admit that I didn’t have a clue about how demanding motherhood would be. Hello, I was a babysitter. How hard could it be? It began kicking my butt right around the second I realized that I wasn’t just a few days late and hasn’t stopped since. That was fifteen years ago. My buns hurt. Seriously.
It took me a really long time to figure out that I was just as needy as my kids but didn’t know it. My kids were lucky though because even though their mother was borderline nuts, she jumped through their hoops and gave them what they needed to the very best of her ability. I wasn’t so lucky. I ignored my needs. I tried to anyway. There are very real and serious consequences for parents who neglect their children. There are very real and serious consequences for parents who neglect their own needs and deep down we know it.
You and I are way more needy than we care to admit. We still need to eat, sleep, and handle things in the bathroom. We’re human. Like our children, we were created to need someone else to take care of us. We were never meant to do it all by ourselves regardless of how much of a ‘big girl’ we are now. The recipe’s tricky that way. It’s not in the fine print. It’s why no matter how hard we try to do it right and follow the instructions to the letter, it doesn’t turn out quite like it should. It tastes funny. It’s missing something.
It’s missing Someone.
We need God. Not once or twice a week, but daily. Sometimes hourly. More at Christmas. Now, if this makes you want to cross your arms with a sassy pout and say “I do it myself!”, you’re so not alone. But what if today was different? What if you allowed Him to help you today? What have you got to lose? You can start by simply saying “God, I need you.” He’ll take it from there.
It would be an honor to pray for you if you’d like to leave a comment today. If you don’t want it published, simply say so. You’re safe here.
See you tomorrow.