Another academic year has started and the mommy taxi is always on the go. We are not even a month in and my phone is buzzing me with reminders of who, and what, and how often all the things are happening, and I can find my shoulders tightening. Then there are the curveballs– the colds, the shifts in schedule, the drama because of all the different things to navigate with all the hormones raging, and then there are the children…
I had these expectations for the year. I had goals and dreams and hopes. And it took exactly 2 days into this school year before I started to watch them crash into the shore line, breaking along that jagged coast that is reality. Sometimes I am truly certain I am failing at all the important things… I feel like I should know better by now, and yet, here I am again wanting to cry into my latte, wondering how it is all going to roll this year if I am already so worn?
Then, I found myself having what I like to call a “come to Jesus moment” with one of my beloved children this week. You know, when everything gets so real it might even hurt, and often does, because you have to own your junk? We were talking about school and choices and consequences when she asked, “so are you just going to quit on me?”
I had to hold onto my inner black granny who wanted to exclaim, “what you say chil’?”
Instead, I looked her in the eyes and asked, “have you met me?”
She needed a reminder.
I continued, “I will never quit on you. I will never stop loving you. I will never stop cheering for you. This is forever right here. Your choices, not even your failures, nor your struggles will ever change my love and commitment to you. Period.”
Even when my heart breaks, even when I wanted better for them, even when they hurt me, even when they run from all that is good and true, even if it costs me everything, they will always have all of me–that is what parenthood looks like. That is what God does with us…maybe I needed a reminder too.
Parenthood has taught me more about the deep, unwavering love of God then any other life journey– bar none.
So, when you are certain you are not enough, when things are messy and broken and hard…
Be quiet, breathe, and know that the most important thing is not dependent on you in any way. God has not changed his mind about you and he never will–even when you fail, even if YOU ARE doing it all wrong. I gloss over that like it is routine, and maybe that it why I forget it too easily….maybe that is why my kids forget too.
So, like a broken record for my soul ears:
He has me in the midst of all the mess.
He is faithful when I am not.
He is never changing, THAT is why I can breathe…and that is truly amazing and exactly what I needed to be reminded of.
Maybe I need a tattoo to actually remember this…
