How Do You Do It?

If you have not read this post - read it. Go ahead, I'll wait. 

http://www.shortstopblog.com/2013/08/to-moms-of-one-or-two-children.html

What did you think? It was a breath of fresh air to me.  There are days when I feel overwhelmed and think to myself "Moms of multiple children {and by that I mean more than 2}, you are amazing". Moms of one and two, you are amazing too! As someone who wonders if I will ever get a handle on being a mom to two and {ouch} being told that I really can only handle two, this blog post truly spoke to me. My favorite line, the one that convicted me?

You know, I needed God when I had one and two children. But, I had all of this stuff - books and gear and Grannies and know-it-all voices and I had me. 

I have so often found that when I rely on myself ... things collapse around me. I measure myself by impossibly high standards, standards that I have imposed on myself.  It does not help when my failures are pointed out to me or when I get dirty looks in the grocery store because my child is having a tantrum.  

I can not tell you how many times I have walked out of a store or left a park because my child is simply not listening and then throws a tantrum when he is disciplined. Embarrassment turns to anger and anger turns to me reacting more harshly than needed.  There have been times I drove away with him screaming & kicking in the backseat with tears streaming down my face.  

I had me. I looked at my screaming tantrum throwing child and measured my worth of a mother by his behavior.  I looked at the toys scattered around my house and the dishes in the sink and I measured myself by the state of my house. I had me. My high standards and my doing.  

I need Him to help me trade my doing for His doing. 

I need His patience. 
I need His joy.
I need His love.

I love what she wrote above.  This needs to be read daily. I want to write it on a post it & stick it to my children's foreheads {only b/c I cannot read it if it's on my own forehead!} so that when I look at them and get frustrated or exasperated because I have me ... I am reminded. 

I need Him to help me trade my doing for His doing. 

Being a mother is not easy. It is hard no matter how many you have, no matter how experienced you are.  We cannot do it on our own.  We need God. We need each other.