As I type these words, I am completely exhausted by this motherhood-business. I've spent the last 45 minutes trying to convince my 4 and (almost) 2 year old that bed really is where they need to be. They don't need mittens. They don't need more milk. They don't need another story. They don't need to have conversations with us about the shape of their poo (you think I'm making this up?). After all, it's night time. Down time. Mama and Daddy time. And after countless sippy cup refills, a large handful of sibling disagreements, an argument about wearing a pink and white-fur snow suit (complete with hoodie and boots) to bed, and the battle that naturally comes with the entire eat, wake, sleep cycle of having children, I must admit – today may have gotten the better of me with regard to this whole “parenting” shenanigan.
Mama. Mama. MAMA. MMAAAAMMMMMAAAAAA.
Mama? Who is this Mama you speak of? It's not me. I've officially changed my name to Shirley. So leave me alone.
But then…
Then there are these incredible blessings intertwined with the battles. Blessings big enough to make you forget the egg yolk smeared on the kitchen window and the variety of moldy vegetables someone-who-shall-remain-nameless was stashing under her bed for ‘pecial nack time‘.
This past weekend, we celebrated Will's baptism into the covenant family.
Hallelujah!
No really. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord that He welcomes our covenant children into his arms, into his church, and into his family. Because those moments when I want to tape their mouths shut and run for the hills pretending this whole thing never happened, my God loves still loves them. And he still loves me.
It's easy to love a little one like Will. He doesn't demand anything more than a few hours of nursing a day, a clean diaper, and a snuggly blanket. But then…
…then, they become four. And become very, very, veeerrrrryyyy (did I emphasize that enough) demanding.
And you know what? God still loves them. And he still loves us.
Even in our filth, in our disobedience, in our sour attitudes, in our outbursts of anger and frustration, and in our selfish actions God still loves us.
Praise God he still loves us.
I took these pictures of Will in his heirloom baptismal gown (yes, I know, it's a boy in a gown… but my husband is from the South, remember? It's tradition!) before we left for church, wanting to make sure that I captured that sweet little face all fresh, clean, and lovely. Then, I took the gown off so that I could ensure it stayed clean in the transit from farm-to-church (things like white linen don't tend to have a long shelf life here on the ‘ol homestead).
… and then we went to church, totally forgot to put the gown back on, and ended up baptizing Will in a white onesie and a poo'ed on blanket.
… and then my two toddlers were squirming, wiggling, talking, crying, and flopping down on the ground during the baptism.
… and then I wanted to cry. Wait a second! This isn't what I had planned! My children were supposed to be obedient and perfect! My Will was supposed to be in his heirloom gown! I was supposed to put on a second layer of lipstick!
… but then, I caught myself smiling. And I couldn't stop. I smiled through the entire baptism. Because this is life – it's messy, it's floppy, it's aggravating, it's not ever like we planned. And yet through all of this, God loves us and his promises to us – and our children – remain.
You see, these failures and messes are exactly what Christ died for. I don't have to be perfect. My kids don't have to be perfect. My life doesn't have to be perfect.
Because Christ was.
I am beaming with thankfulness for this reality today.
Maria
Love this post!!! You are so very blessed…
JoAnn S.
This brought a tear to my eye and beautiful memories to the forefront of my mind… You all remind me very much of our past… It goes by very quickly, so I would say, “Pay Attention!” but I see that you are. God bless you and your beautiful little family, and lifestyle. And thank you for sharing it.
Louise
Bless your heart! I think the transition from 2 to 3 kids was the hardest for me. DH and I were out numbered at that point. And despite the darlings being 4-5 years apart we were happily in over our heads in blissful chaos! By the time the 4th arrived we were lathered well in insanity. Life is very messy indeed! And it doesn’t change and I wouldn’t want it to! The oldest is now 22 and a sr in college and the youngest is 10. We recently went home to TN for my step-dad’s funeral, we were a full 6 ring circus until we walked through the church doors and when we walked out act II continued all the way back to KS! I’m pretty sure I will freak out when our nest empties….a quiet echo in this old house seems so odd. Just give me the mess!!!!
Peace and blessings to you and yours!
Catalinakel
This is lovely, and, honestly, perfectly perfect. Not because things came off without a hitch, but because you were smiling through it all. This is life abundant. Glory to His name!
carol hennis
What a beautiful story! Brought tears to my eyes, knowing the Lord has blessed you with wisdom! You do your best and then give it all to God!
goodie odom
This was such a beautiful post.Yes Motherhood gets hard at times,but it is so worth it.You have a wonderful family,and you realize how blessed you are,even with the mess and all that comes with living life.Your faith will help you through many more “fun” times,enjoy the children while they are little.All to soon they will be grown and you will wonder what happened.Thank’s for the morning smile.
Charlotte
This was beautiful! And reminds me of one of our children’s baptisms and the older ones not standing there perfectly like I wanted. 🙂 Thank God for His grace! Because we need it.
Linda
Awesome! Just absolutely awesome!
Stef
I am smiling, tearily. Laughing really. What a wonderful revelation. Our children are all adults now and the same things remain true. We love our children and revel in the gift each one of them is to us. But we still have to remember that with their sometimes interesting, or downright frightful, decisions and conclusions, we still get exasperated. Sometimes stunned. Sometimes helpful. Other times impatient. But God still loves them and watches over them. As he does us. And always has.
Anna
I needed this post. My son is getting baptized this weekend. This truly reminded me to stop worrying about everything being perfect and to remember what the baptism really means. Thank you!
Peggy Gray
What a wonderful post! I neded to read this today and be reminded that it doesn’t matter how good I am. It just matters how good Jesus is and He is perfect . And he loves me, messes and all. And I loved seeing the pictures of your beautiful family.
Sheri
God blesses those who bless Him and you have blessed me in your sharing. Thank you! You have such a beautiful family!
Jason
As an often worn out and frustrated parent, thank you for sharing this and reminding me where true love resides.
Heather
That was wonderful. Some Days are better that others and I truly needed to hear that today Thank you for sharing.
Marina
Gorgeous and precious family!
Bless the Lord for his mercy on all of us…
Thank you for writting this. Here we homeschool and this is what I need to remember always: )
Gwendolyn Williams
What great wisdom you have. I am from the South and my children were all dedicated in a 100+ year old gown that has been handed down through the family, so I know about tradition! Our first child slept through his, the second cried through hers, the third was great but his sister wouldn’t stay still, the fourth slept through hers but her older brother kept pulling on my clothes. By the time the fifth came along (several years later) her sibilings were old enough to laugh when she suddenly grabbed for my blouse during the middle of her dedication (as it was time to nurse.) I believe God allows us to be parents to remind us of His great love for us. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, just as we don’t expect our kids to be, we love them just as they are. Thank you for sharing your family with us.
Libby
Thanks for sharing real life. It’s not perfect, but that’s ok. He is perfect, so I don’t have to be. Takes all the pressure off of me and my family to meet someone else’s standards and expectations (even my own!). What a lovely family you have! God bless you and thank you for being real and honest and inviting us to peak into your lives.
Shaye Elliott
Glad you’re here, Libby!
Katy
What a talented writer you are…your humor, your humanist, and your love of God and your family, shines through to bless us with your sharing. Your witness is refreshing and lovely! May God continue to bless you. Your family is beautiful…the photos are wonderful I especially love the photo of you kissing Will, outstanding! Thank you!
Shaye Elliott
Thank you, Katy!
Cindy
What a blessing to read…May the Lord bless Will and the rest of your covenant household!
Allison
This post was simply amazing. Thank you.
Kati
Thank you so much for writing this post! I have a special needs child and need to be reminded of this often (especially today). Life is messy and imperfect and still absolutely wonderful. Thank you!
Kirsten Heath
Well, covenant baptisms almost always make me cry, and it turns out that it’s the same, even for a baptism picture I see online on a blog!! Bless God for His faithfulness to us and to our children. Generation to generation. Amazing.
On a different note, this causes me to ask what your religious background is…..because you don’t find many folks these days talking about “covenant baptisms”! So I’m curious!
But thank you for sharing. Love your blog, and your wisdom, as well as your recipes.
Kerri
May I just say how blessed you are to have this wisdom NOW? It has taken me a long time, and then even now, I still find myself freaking out. Which is silly. I mean you would think I would have learned this lesson, seeing as how we have 8 children! Oy. But, you are blessed. And what a wonderful baptism. I cried too. Beautiful!
Blessings,
Kerri
Janice
This entry was such a blessing to me…especially today. I just read “A day in our life” entry. It is the first of your blogs I have read. Then I spied this one…I know this is an older one, but God’s timing is best to bring me to this today. thank you.