On my traffic-filled commute to work a few years ago, my two-year-old in the back started yelling out that he was thirsty. I responded, “Sorry buddy, I don’t have anything to give you. We can get something when we get there.” This was not a sufficient answer, apparently, as he began kicking and screaming in the back seat. What was my response, you may wonder. I turned up the radio! Not sure if that was the right response, but no matter how much I wanted to fulfill my child’s want/need at that moment, and no matter how much I simply wanted some peace and quiet in the car, I literally could not give what I did not have.
I still reflect on that drive sometimes in what my children need from me that I don’t have. Am I trying to teach them peace and confidence, when I experience anxiety and insecurity? Am I using reactionary parenting simply because I lack other tools and understanding? This is truly my motivation to continue to grow in the Lord personally and to grow in other areas. When I find new healing, revelation, and growth, my kids will always benefit, 100%. Often, as moms, we neglect our own growth through quiet time with the Lord, Bible Studies, and community groups for a season, feeling a lack of time and a desire to put our kids first. The problem can become parenting from a place of emptiness and unintentionally giving what you do have, bad beliefs of insecurity, anxiety, bitterness, etc. My prayer for you this day is for you to make time to be with the Lord, to be refreshed and grow, and to receive new things to give to your kids!