Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Finding JOY. . .

With bleary eyes, I stepped over my 6th born this morning. . . asleep in the hall, where she's been every night for the last month or so, since we told her she couldn't sleep on the floor by our bed, anymore.

There's something so sad about her curled up little body sleeping outside our door.  As close as she can get without being IN the room with us.  Not to mention the fact that it can't be very comfortable.

How odd that in this moment, my mind wanders back to a trip to Taiwan way back when . . before I had the Coach or the troops.

We stayed in a youth hostel.  I can still remember he noise, the food (I've never quite understood how bread with a slice of cucumber you can see through is a "sandwich", but maybe it's why everyone is that culture is so thin!), the traffic outside our windows, and our constant campaign to get to a McDonald's for something to eat that we could recognize!

The room wasn't bad.  It wasn't great, either.  Three of us.  Bunks end to end on one wall.  Every night and every morning and sometimes during the dark in between, I'd hear my friend exclaim,

"YA'LL, THESE BEDS ARE SOOOO HAARRRRD!" in her Southern drawl.

She had a point.  I think our carpeted hall is probably softer.


And these last few weeks, I've found myself saying over and over (in my head, mostly),

"YA'LL, BEING A PARENT IS SOOOO HAARRRRD!"

I don't know what is wrong.

I don't know how to fix it.

I don't know what's causing the problem.

I don't know how much is emotional and how much is physical (can a little 9 year old girl even tell?).

I don't know WHAT TO DO.

I don't know how long I can go without decent sleep (we're heading into month 4, at this point).

I don't know why the Lord is allowing this.

I don't know how much to "push" her and how much to just comfort her.

Or how to do both at the same time.

I.  DON'T.  KNOW.

And in the dark early hours, I am sometimes frustrated with God for not making it all more clear.

As a mom, you try everything you know to try.  Then you try some more things you hadn't thought of before.  Then you keep going, even though you don't know where you are headed with the whole big mess.

We are so very tired.

I think of that quote (I should go hunt down the source, but thank you for giving me the grace to skip it just now),

"Oh the JOY of a trial, accepted."

The JOY.  Of a TRIAL.  ACCEPTED.

Maybe the joy is only possible when we accept (not fight against) this hard thing because it comes from the hand of a Loving, Sovereign Lord.

I trust Him.  With my self, my marriage, my troops, my hurting girl.

"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Great is THY faithfulness, Lord until me."

5 comments:

Carrie Chlebanowski said...

right there with you, sister. And as we deal with our own very similar issue, I pray for you and your little one. Praying He will make the reason/cause and treatment/cure clear, but regardless of that He will give us the strength and endurance and peace in Him to accept the joy in these trials. I was in tears last night talking to Joe about how many times I have been to the doctor and how little else around here is getting done, then all of a sudden , the Holy Spirit reminded me to be thankful for these children, for these problems, and to give thanks that we aren't in a doctor's office every single day like some families. He is good to bring us back to Him and comfort us.

Melinda Wilhite said...

Love you babe. And I'm so very sorry!

jo said...

praying sweet friend.

Nae and Clara said...

Don't remember how i stumbled onto you blog...but so glad I did. I find myself in a different type of trial as I just found out I'm pregnant with #6 (surprise!). What a struggle to find joy in the midst of being sick and tired and knowing this is life for the next 9 months. I just remind myself that God never gives us more than we can stand (even if it feels like it at times.) Thanks for the beautiful reminder...I'll remember your sweet girl in prayer today. Clara

amber said...

oh, that part about not knowing how much to push and how much to comfort. yes. YES!! i have felt that exact way lately with some things 2 of the kids are going through.

and so tough when you know something's wrong.. something's bothering them, but you don't really KNOW what that is. ~ so hard to trust in times like that. i'm always second guessing my mothering.. which i know is why i have to look beyond my own parenting ability to my all wise Heavenly Parent. but, it's just so much easier to say {write} it, then do it!!

i'll pray for your sweet girl when she comes to mind~ that God would bring a closure to whatever it is disturbing her. and that He'd give you extra grace to "accept" as you walk through this with her.

much love friend~