In the last few weeks, I have been undergoing a battle of the wills of sorts with my three month old daughter as I've endeavored to establish boundaries, schedules, and an overall routine. She and I have both cried many tears, endured sleepless nights, and I've prayed through the frustrations that accompany life with a newborn. Especially a strong willed newborn who is as determined to have her way as I am to have mine. I also have a 12 year old son, and as I look back through the years to the time when he was her age, I recall only brief moments of difficulty. He was essentially an easygoing, mild tempered infant who followed direction well and stayed within the parameters of whatever routine I had created. Sure, he went through a brief season of overwhelming colicky upset, but it was short lived and he quickly settled into life as the "perfect baby." My new daughter, on the other hand, refuses to be tamed into any sort of routine and if I dare try, she quickly and effectively makes sure I know she is calling the shots, which usually looks like her yelling and me not sleeping. And crying. And praying. Ironically, my efforts at formatting a schedule are based on the underlying goal of increasing both the quantity and quality of my nighttime sleep. Hasn't happened. The minute I feel I've had a couple of days of success and won the battle of getting her to comply with my way of doing things, she mixes everything up and my accomplishment is no longer recognizable. I've often heard parents say that their children are like night and day, different in every way. I understand the concept well now. My son was easy. My daughter is difficult. My son was quiet and content. My daughter is loud and restless. My son was mild tempered. My daughter is emotionally expressive and already opinionated. My son was teachable. My daughter is the teacher. He came out of the womb without movement or sound. She came out kicking and yelling. My son was and still is predictable in his next step. My daughter is nothing of the sort. The only predictable thing about her is that she is predictably unpredictable. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I've found that God will often use our closest loved ones to teach us the most valuable life lessons. In my daughter's case, I am finding hidden treasures along the path of the unknown. While I could usually see 10 steps ahead with my son, not so with my daughter. I can barely see beyond the one on which I currently stand. Both predictability and unpredictability are needed. I cherish moments with my son more now than I probably ever did before, and as I watch my daughter sleep, I wonder in anticipation what the next waking hour will contain. With my son, I always knew, but with my daughter I have no idea. She is full of surprises, some pleasant, others difficult, but all of them blessed. She challenges me to my core, both night and day, and I find myself in uncharted territory. What's next? I don't know, but in Psalm 32:8, God says that He will "instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. He will counsel me with His loving eye on me," and my daughter's arrival into the world runs parallel with other areas of the unknown in my life. The lesson is the same. Whether it's a job, relationship, loss of a loved one, relocation, family crisis, or something else, God will instruct us. He will instruct me, He will instruct you. Let Him.
I often hear clients tell me that they don't know what their purpose is. They don't know who they are or what they're supposed to do, and it's a common question of identity that we all face, but when it comes to the big picture of your life, relax your grip on how you think it should go. Have a plan, dream big, and pursue a goal, but remain flexible in the road you take to get there. Embrace the predictable details that can be comforting and peaceful, but joyfully receive the unpredictable surprises that might redirect you. They also have something to teach you, and a detour isn't the same thing as a dead end. It's a detour. An alternate route. Take it. Explore. Find yourself, not in the opinions of others, but in the person you were created to become. Genesis 1:27 says that we are "created in the image of God." Start there. Start with Him. You're already a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), and as a newborn baby teaches me about the joys of predictably unpredictable living, I pray you, too, will find meaning and purpose in the unknown. Don't worry about how it's all going to work out, just take the next step...
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." - Isaiah 58:11
I've found that God will often use our closest loved ones to teach us the most valuable life lessons. In my daughter's case, I am finding hidden treasures along the path of the unknown. While I could usually see 10 steps ahead with my son, not so with my daughter. I can barely see beyond the one on which I currently stand. Both predictability and unpredictability are needed. I cherish moments with my son more now than I probably ever did before, and as I watch my daughter sleep, I wonder in anticipation what the next waking hour will contain. With my son, I always knew, but with my daughter I have no idea. She is full of surprises, some pleasant, others difficult, but all of them blessed. She challenges me to my core, both night and day, and I find myself in uncharted territory. What's next? I don't know, but in Psalm 32:8, God says that He will "instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. He will counsel me with His loving eye on me," and my daughter's arrival into the world runs parallel with other areas of the unknown in my life. The lesson is the same. Whether it's a job, relationship, loss of a loved one, relocation, family crisis, or something else, God will instruct us. He will instruct me, He will instruct you. Let Him.
I often hear clients tell me that they don't know what their purpose is. They don't know who they are or what they're supposed to do, and it's a common question of identity that we all face, but when it comes to the big picture of your life, relax your grip on how you think it should go. Have a plan, dream big, and pursue a goal, but remain flexible in the road you take to get there. Embrace the predictable details that can be comforting and peaceful, but joyfully receive the unpredictable surprises that might redirect you. They also have something to teach you, and a detour isn't the same thing as a dead end. It's a detour. An alternate route. Take it. Explore. Find yourself, not in the opinions of others, but in the person you were created to become. Genesis 1:27 says that we are "created in the image of God." Start there. Start with Him. You're already a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), and as a newborn baby teaches me about the joys of predictably unpredictable living, I pray you, too, will find meaning and purpose in the unknown. Don't worry about how it's all going to work out, just take the next step...
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." - Isaiah 58:11
Excellent read. You inspire me, Heather.
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