I don’t love waking up all night long. Susannah’s at an interesting stage where some nights, she sleeps from 6:30 pm straight through until 6:00 am. But other nights, she wakes at midnight… and 2:00… and 4:00… more or less. She’s easy to get back to sleep; she just wants a sip of water from her canteen and to be covered back up with her blankets. But last night I was thinking about something interesting when Susannah woke up around 10:00 pm.
When she wakes up, she’s alone in her bed. The room is dark (unless she has turned on her Twilight Turtle). She doesn’t know what time it is. She doesn’t know where everyone else is.
Yet she calls out with perfect faith, perfect confidence. “Mama! I need a sip a wa-tuh!” She cries out my name knowing that I hear her. She tells me what she needs trusting that I will provide it.
Every great once in a while, her faith wavers. I don’t know why – maybe she has a bad dream? Maybe she’s not feeling well? But sometimes, rarely, her voice quivers and she calls out, “Mommy? Can you hear me? Mommy? Where ah you?”
She’s the same kid, in the same room, with the same Mama right across the same hall. But some nights, it’s just harder for her to know that I’ve heard her.
You know what? I get that. Most of the time, I talk to God – my Father – with faith. I call His name and I trust that He hears me. I tell Him what I need, or about the needs I see around me, and I believe that He is meeting those needs. But I have rough days when I cry out and I don’t feel heard. Or really rough days, when I don’t bother calling His name at all. And that’s just as silly as Susannah asking “Mommy? Where ah you!?” – because He is the same Father, watching over me, still caring, still providing. He is always ready to hear me and to minister to me, like a cool sip of water in the dark of the night.
It’s true that as a mom, I’m usually the one trying to teach my little people about God, about His love for us, about His plan for us. But there are moments when God teaches me something about Himself through my kids – and I really love those moments.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents–if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:7-10
1 thought on “Parenting as Discipleship”
Excellent post and analogy, Michelle. Thanks for sharing it.