Rest for the Weary

"A mother's work is never done." The weight behind these words can only ring true to parents... and for some it is like sitting in the bell tower of a cathedral! As a man, a husband, a father, and the sole earner in our home I can tend to think my jobs and responsibilities are the most pressing.

After a "disagreement" with my wife over the most pressing jobs and responsibilities yesterday I came across this picture on FaceBook. I have to tell you that it was right on time. With all my frustration over my own selfish thinking and my need for my wife to understand my reasoning, this brought some much need laughter.

If I were truly honest with myself, that would be "Daddy" in the picture if he were home with the kids all day everyday. In our "disagreement" yesterday my wife said something that really hit home for me. "George, I don't get a sick day!" Imagine if you will, mommy just giving up even for just an hour. Just look, you have one kid in the fridge, one kid in the cabinets, one kid in the microwave and two plotting something on the floor! That frazzled look on mom we know too well. So, how do we get through it?

 Matthew 11:28-30

  ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 
Simply put, parenting wasn't meant to be done without the Presence of Jesus within our families. Parenting is not always perfect and if it was it would not be enjoyable. Our house can be chaos at times, OK most of the time, yet beyond all the cooking, cleaning disciplining, teaching, changing (diapers), bathing, non-stop laundry, refereeing, chasing, and flat out pulling our every nerve we can find Rest in Him in the midst of it all. When the end of the day roles around the bottom line is "Did we love each other as Christ loves the church?" or at the end of the day are we weary and burdened?

Your cooking may improve, laundry will not likely stop, your efforts to keep a tidy house may go unnoticed, there is going to come a time when parental discipline just is not enough, soon they will "know more than you" so teaching will be out of the question, the diaper situation may reverse hopefully later than sooner! All in all, getting caught up with the burden of "doing parenting" is weary compared to the Rest we find in Jesus to just "Be a parent". We are all heading towards the age of not being able to have more children, to the age where the children we do have do not want to be held, hugged, or hovered. Today, take some time to forget the burdens "doing parenting" and spend some time "Being a Parent". Rest in Him!

In honor of my beautiful wife and mother of my children

Lisa