God’s Lessons Through Her

A few weeks back, I was having a bad day, one of those bad days that seems to escalate as the day moves forward. Do you have those? When things that normally wouldn’t be a big deal are enlarged by a rotten mood that just won’t go away. I can’t even remember the exact details of this morning, something about waking up late, stepping on the plug to the curling iron and realizing the pilot light to the hot water heater had gone out, all before I was wearing my contacts.

None of those things are real problems, but when my attitude is off, my perspective becomes a bit skewed as well. I pushed through the morning, gave in to to rain boots on toddler feet for a 70 degree day, and finally we were on our way. Braylen, myself, and my horrible attitude.

As we were sitting at a red light, the fourth one in a row that we had to stop for that morning, I heard a sweet little voice singing from the backseat.

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made.

I smiled and probably even even laughed a little, my mood was lifted by a three-year-old without a care in the world. Moments like this make it easy for me to see God in the smallest details. He created our universe, yet He finds me in the middle of a bad day and offers me grace, He gives me just what I need.

Motherhood has brought me closer to Him in ways I never imagined, through frustrations and fears, to unconditional love and a deeper understanding of his ultimate sacrifice. When I first looked into her eyes, the moment we met, I knew things would never be the same. My thoughts raced as I thought about all of the things I would need to teach her, how all of my decisions would suddenly affect more than myself.

I wasn’t prepared for just how much she would teach me. I didn’t understand how God would use this tiny gift to deepen my faith, but now I see it daily.

She doesn’t let the small stuff bring her down.

The morning I described above was a series of small, insignificant events that derailed my attitude and my mood. For her, life is different. She might bump her head one minute and run off to dress up in a princess costume the next. Her feelings don’t carry over, she doesn’t project them on to other people, she just moves on.

She doesn’t worry about anything. Sure, she’s three and her needs are taken care of by us, she doesn’t have anything to worry about. She has trust in us that we won’t let her down, that we’ll give her what she needs, that we’ll make sure everything is alright. The same trust I should put in God. When my worry gets the best of me, I think about the sound of her little feet, confidently walking into the kitchen each morning. She knows we’ll be here, to give her what she needs, she has no doubt.

These days, I try to focus on how God is using her to teach me, there is something new to learn each day. In the midst of me shaping her life, she gets to shape mine as well.

And I don’t want to miss a single thing.

(MOTHER’S DAY GIVEAWAY: Be sure to visit Emily Freeman, author of Grace for the Good Girl and Chatting at the Sky. She’s giving away a set of ABC Scripture Cards today in honor of Mother’s Day. – Courtney)