Grumpy Bumpy Days

Some days are harder than others.

My toddler celebrated his 18-month birthday on Monday. On Tuesday we took him to the public health clinic for his immunizations. Unfortunately, my little boy has not been his usual sunny self since then. His arms are red and swollen at the injection sites, he has been sleeping poorly, and he's been running a slight fever. All of this is normal after receiving immunizations, but that doesn't make it any less fun.

Add an increasingly tired and enormous mommy, a needy preschooler, an insanely busy husband, and a weekend renovation project that has stretched all week into the mix. Now things are getting interesting!

I lift my eyes to the hills ---
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121: 1)

I am far from perfect. I lose my cool just like anyone else. In fact, I seem to have more "grumpy bumpy" days the bigger my belly grows! However, I am attempting to learn from my experiences and to check my attitude. Every time I feel like losing my temper I take a deep breath and ask, "What is God asking me to learn from this?"

To quote Dr. James Dobson, "Parenting is not for cowards!" Each day I pray that God can use my time in the "parenting trenches" to mold me into a stronger, wiser woman of God. When I am feeling low and beaten, I cling to the following scripture:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)