I wrote this as a short devo for a baby shower a few weeks ago:
After bringing a baby home from the hospital, it doesn’t take long to realize you had no idea what you were in for. I have to feed this child how often? How many diapers every day!? I have to monitor the color of his poop??? And the ongoing marital discussion for the first few months: “How about you see if you can get him to stop crying?”
Children are absolutely a gift from God, but that doesn’t mean that raising them isn’t going to be one of the hardest things that you’ve ever done. So, on the good days, and the hard days, here are two things to remember:
1) There is always more grace for you.
Isaiah 40:11 says, “He will tend His flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”
Maybe it’s not this way for everyone, but for me, having a baby was a major crash course in, “Wow. I have no idea what I’m doing.” That’s unsettling. So, when you feel clueless and tired, and you don’t know what to do, remember: You can be gentle to yourself, because God is gently leading you. It’s okay if you don’t always have the answers.
The second thing I want to remind you of is this:
2) You are exactly the mother that your baby needs.
There’s no better way to see your own shortcomings then when you haven’t washed your hair in a week, your shirt smells like spit up, the dog just peed on the floor, the baby is crying, and the doorbell rings. It’s your perfectly dressed neighbor and her three sparkling clean children, delivering a four-course meal.
I’m sure nobody can relate to this.
Graham isn’t yet two years old, so maybe someone who has successfully raised children to adulthood may deny or confirm this, but I don’t *think* I’m alone when I say that self-doubt is a very familiar feeling in parenting. Whether it’s over discipline, or scheduling, or not letting your kid do something they do want to do, or making them do something they don’t want to do, or losing your patience when it feels like everything is falling apart, the first thought that often comes to mind is, “I wonder if I’m doing the right thing” or, sometimes, “I definitely did the wrong thing.”
But. When Got put this baby in your family, He knew exactly what kind, loving parents this boy would have. He knows everything about you and the kind of mother that you are, and he knew that was exactly what this baby needs.
So, even on the worst days, always remember: Be gentle to yourself, because God is gentle to you—and God gave this baby to you because you are the exact mother he needs.