Parenting has been one of the hardest, but most sanctifying, journeys in my life. It is this adventure that provides some of the most challenging moments that sharpen us to be the best possible version of ourselves. I have personally lost a child to miscarriage, missed school Picture Days, dropped kids off at preschool in socks, woken up to the stylings of scissors in the hands of a four-year-old, hidden in the bathroom for moments of silence, picked our kids up from falling down, and helplessly watched one daughter seizing through epilepsy. Really, the list is endless, as I am sure any other parent’s is as well!

I feel weary in these moments of growth. Do you wonder if parents will feel tired until kids are out of the home, like me? And then, I assume, my own age will be the culprit of fatigue! No rest for the weary, eh?

In spite of the weary, there is a deep gratification found in “the busy”, though not always in that exact moment. It hurts to see your children aching. It is humbling to realize the many faults we have as parents; I speak from experience. I am more aware than ever that I am a sinner with many means to grow. And there are endless moments of weighing through, “What really is wisdom for me and my child?”

Great news: God does not get weary! Even when we do as parents, He is fully understanding and wise. He is ready to meet our needs and fill us up with strength. “Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).

Thankfully, it is all these nanoseconds that have taught me that the weary parenting moments are God-moments, too. When we have no other choice but to be fully dependent on the Savior, we develop a stronger bond with our Heavenly Father. We learn to trust God more, just like your children deepen their faith in you each time you pick them up from practice or by place a meal on the table. Your consistency reflects that you are trustworthy as a parent. God’s consistency, over generations, provides His children a history of fulfilled promises and goodness, over and over. 

Have you thought of starting a gratitude journal of all the ways God has shown His faithfulness in your life and that of your family? It is in the weary moments that we must cling to the fulfilled promises and memories of God’s faithfulness! It is the early mornings with a baby crying that should remind you of a Creator who gives life! It is the late night when your teen is ready to talk that should fill you with gratitude for relationships, though you desperately want your pillow more.

Over the years, I have attended many services where the pastor has prayed this prayer over the congregation before they parted ways on Sunday afternoons: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). And then the verse became a worship song called, “The Blessing”. As a Christ-follower, this blessing sounded wonderful and I wanted God’s blessing on my life, but there was still an emptiness to these words. It was not as if I wanted God to give me a million dollars and take away all difficulty in life. I had wholesome prayers. But I also wanted financial security, my kids to not be sad, life to be easier. And then I realized that my whole prayers may not be how God wants to bless my family. If so, could I be ok with accepting this? At the time, I did not think so.

It is in the moments of great weariness that God has given me a greater understanding and acceptance of His blessing, whatever that may be. In America, blessing is understood as, “the act or words of one that blesses…something that makes one happy or content.” (Merriam-Webster, Online Dictionary). Or in Christian circles, many think of a prayer or “God’s favor and protection” (Oxford Languages – Online Dictionary).

What I had to process, as a believer and a mother, is how I understood God’s favor and protection. It was watching my blue-faced daughter in seizures and seeing her sit in her room, essentially lifeless for months, that forced me to face that I am good with God’s hand in my life, whatever it may be. I had to recognize that I can still live a “blessed” life, if I choose to rest in God’s plan being the best, even in challenging circumstances.

God’s idea of blessing is not the same as the world’s and/or that of many “Christian” circles. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

God has not chosen to heal my daughter’s epilepsy and may never do so. But I am blessed to have her living and see her smile every day. I am blessed to know God’s grace and peace. My perspective, knowledge of God’s Word, and my faith have grown. That is yet another blessing in drought. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 27:8).

My idea of blessing has now been surrendered to trust that God’s blessing, whatever it may be, is best. The Creator sees a much greater painting of my life and that of my family. He sees the final masterpiece. I only see a limited brush stroke of each moment. I can honestly say that I believe God’s favor is on my family and His hand of protection is around us, and I would still believe the same had we lost the life of our daughter. But I had to grow my faith in my Savior to be able to trust Him with the outcome.

Humans were made for and by the Creator. Our true home is not here on earth. We must understand that Yahweh placed breath in our lungs and made us in His image; He did so desiring that all humans would someday live in Heaven with Him. When believers embrace this truth and rest in God’s greater plan, they more intimately understand what it means to be a believer (and parent) made in the image of God. Enjoy the here-and-now, but remember your ultimate identity and eternal home.