The toddlers have been taking turns waking me up at night. One roams the house around 1am, calling for "mom!" with a high fever. The other one, who joins our bed around midnight, kicks my side repeatedly as she lays horizontally around 3 am.
They are the kind of sick that makes them super fussy, but not sick enough to stop them from continuing on in all their toddler ways. In the morning, they are still climbing up everything, running around everywhere, and jumping on everyone. But instead of doing it joyfully, there are many tired tears and easily hurt feelings.
Somewhere in all of this, I am also supposed to be teaching my oldest son how to synthesize sources and find the area of a circle. I am also supposed to be completing a project with my oldest daughter and helping her learn how to conjugate verbs. There are also dishes to do, meals to make, and laundry to fold.
My husband has been working long hours and traveling on weekends for our son's basketball tournaments. So I've been tackling a lot of this on my own.
I'm exhausted. And tired. And weary.
But I know what to do. I'd been here before. So I'm preaching to myself.
When I was juggling a newborn baby, taming a toddler, and homeschooling two other kids, still recovering from my fourth c-section and breastfeeding night and day, I had never been so weary. I've been told that "God will never give you more than you can handle" but during that time, that expression fell completely flat. Because it was way more than I could handle on my own. I desperately needed help. I desperately needed God. So I went to Him and he intervened. He became my strength and provided for me in a myriad of ways.
And that's what I need to do right now. I need to go to God. Why?
1. God wants us to come to Him.
When we are tired, weak, or weary, the Bible invites us to:
"Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always" (1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV).
He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to help us when we are weak and in every possible situation. He's waiting for us to turn to Him so He can offer the hope and help He wants to provide. We don't have to do life in our own strength; we can lean on Him for the support we need.
2. God will be our strength.
When we come to God in all our weariness, exhaustion, and weakness, He will be our strength. The Bible tells us:
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy , and with my song I praise him. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one" (Psalms 28:7-8 NIV).
God will help us. He will sustain us in our weakness with His own strength. We can't always do it on our own; we need Him.
3. God will strengthen us.
When we seek His face, he provides the strength we need in any situation we find ourselves in that makes us weak or weary. The Bible reminds us:
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:29-31NIV).
Strength and power are something I desperately needed back when I first had four and something I still need today. I'm wondering if it's something I'll need for the rest of my parenting years! But God provides what we need, when we come to Him. After all,
"The LORD gives strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11NIV).
4. God will help us.
Last night, while I was up caring for one and abruptly awoken by another, a song my oldest daughter sings for class played on repeat in my head:
"Do not fear, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am Your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).
He will help us and uphold us through these trials. He is faithful. He may give us way more than we can handle on our own, but it's nothing He can't handle. He wants us to come to Him so He can help us and have a true relationship with us.
Thank God that He sustains us in our weariness, helps us in our exhaustion, and strengthens us to do the job He has called us to do.
"Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10 NIV).
Коментари