August was a month like no other. It was intense and overwhelming and joyful and frightening all in one. I experienced Lamentations 3:22-23 in a real way.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
We welcomed a new baby girl on the 8th of August. Little Miss arrived at 5:34 am after about 5 hours active labor, weighed 7lbs 3 oz and was 20.5″ long. Two weeks later, I dropped my dad off at the hospital for open heart valve replacement surgery on the 24th Plus there was a failed attempt to start the new school year in between.
I’m an only child so it was pretty much all on me. There was a newborn that I couldn’t bring into the hospital and both parents needing my support. There was also three kiddos trying to adjust to the new little person now in our lives. I was trying to maneuver it all while sleep deprived and with the postpartum hormones flowing. Yikes.
We are this side of all that and are praising the Lord for full healing for my dad and a pretty good adjustment to Little Miss’s arrival. I’m so thankful for this photo! This was about 2 weeks post surgery and she was about a month.
School has started although at little later than I had hoped. That has brought about more overwhelm for me and a greater adjustment because it has brought me face to face with the high maintenance part of Big Bro. There’s too much noise and unexpected changes to the schedule. There’s brother’s behavior that he feels the need to correct and play parent.
Recently I listed to a podcast on parenting high maintenance kids from Raising Arrows. A lot of what I heard was things I have already learned along the way but a couple things she said stuck me in a fresh way.
God’s mercies are new every day.
Absolutely. As I reflected on the past month and a half, I could see time after time where His mercies were new. He brought me through each day and regardless of how exhausted and spent I was the night before, He awoke me able to carry on and do what needed to be done that day. One day, he gave me the strength to say I wasn’t going anywhere, despite what others wanted me to do.
God has already equipped me to be what He has called me to be.
Although he has already equipped me, I feel like he equips me every day for what is needed. I’ve come to realize that it is a daily equipping as we lean on and seek Him daily- access to what he has already done. That’s part of His mercies being new every day.
We can’t do this life on our own or in our own strength. We can’t fulfill God’s plan for us without walking with Him and surrendering to His plan. I can’t parent and raise these kiddos without His guidance and equipping.
The tough, high maintenance kids have super powers.
These kids, sometimes labeled a “that” child, will be used greatly by God. They have strong characteristics that will serve a specific purpose. And it is tough shaping and molding those traits and big emotions that they feel. But the lady on the podcast encouraged moms to teach those kids that those big emotions and character traits are their super power and to use them for good and not for evil. That was powerful perspective for me and I think that wording could be really helpful as I parent Big Bro specifically.
As I reflect back on the past 6 weeks, I can see the results of people’s prayers and I can see God’s grace and mercy extended to me. Labor and delivery was quick, less than 5 hours active labor to birth. I was discharged the next day and able to rest at home without the rest of the kiddos for two more days. Little Miss was a good sleeper from the start (only up 2x per night) and the serious postpartum stuff only lasted a week. Our church provided meals and other friends brought food so that I didn’t have to think about dinner for over 2 weeks- all the way through the surgery and the worst of my dad’s recovery. I was healed enough and felt good enough to be driving by 2 weeks out and able to be there to support my parents through the surgery, being able to visit the hospital just about every day they were there. God provided people to watch the older three and people to drive in with me and watch Little Miss in the van while I went into the hospital.
It was still really intense, emotional and draining despite all those blessings. But God, in His mercy, extended grace. It could have been so so much worse. He was with me the whole way and made His presence known through His people and circumstances.
There was clear evidence of God’s faithfulness all throughout and His mercies have been new each morning through the birth, the surgery and this new school year. Sometimes it takes walking through dark times, like Jeremiah did, to experience the truth he penned in Lamentations 3:22-23 . I’m so thankful for those darker times because they truly illuminate God’s Faithfulness and His mercies, deepening and strengthening my faith.
Blessings to your week- keep looking for God’s faithfulness and new mercies. I’d love to hear about God’s mercies in your life. Let’s give God the glory! Tell me in the comments below 🙂
