When I am Weary...

I've shared before about how one of the most difficult things about mothering for me is the constancy.  

Somebody always wants/needs something.  

Somebody is always talking.

Likely, somebody will be crying eventually.

And then there's the water bottles.

Oh, you rascally water bottles, you.

Even though the water bottles are often the bane of my existence, I do maintain that they were a good idea!

I got the girls their own water bottles a month or so before school ended.  They always want something to drink after nap (or school for Leah), so I figured that having them each be responsible for their own water bottle would be the way to go.

This would also allow me to phase out the mighty sippy cup.  

I feel like the fewer sippy cups there are in my life the better.  Because, no matter what they say, none of them are spill-proof...let's not kid ourselves.  Who are "they" anyway?

I didn't have a chore chart during the summer, but when I was brainstorming a chore list, I had "put water bottle in the fridge" on the list.

The water bottle are worth their weight in gold...

...when the girls can find them.

When they can't find them, I always ask them to look for the water bottle first.

But, the way a child looks for something and the way a mom looks for something is just a tad different. 

When I tell one of the girls to look in their room, they literally walk to the doorway of their room and glance inside.

Yeah, that's not how I look for things.

So, I get weary of telling them to look under their blanket or in the couch cushion or next to their backpack or right by their foot to find their water bottle.

I read a great post the other day that reminded me of a verse that I've read a ton of times.

Here's a very unflattering thing for me to admit to you:  sometimes I have Scripture arrogance.

What is Scripture arrogance?  Scripture arrogance is when I think that I already have gotten everything there is to get out of a verse and don't revisit it in new phases of my life because I already "know it."

I don't recommend having this, because you miss out on a lot.  I'm always really thankful when the Holy Spirit breaks through that!

Welcome back, Galatians 6:9!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap (a harvest), if we do not give up.

Whether you are a mom or not, it is so easy to grow weary of doing good!

And the weariness comes so quickly when we try to do all the good on our own.

Hello again, Isaiah 40:31!

But they who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Read verses 28-30 with it for a little extra umph!

I love that the strength that we use to battle weariness comes from our Lord!

I don't need to try harder.

Or be more clever.

Or figure everything out on my own.

What I need to do is wait on the Lord and rest in Him.

Because the odds are awfully good that, any minute now, I will be looking for someone's water bottle or reminding someone to say "yes mom" or rushing someone to the potty chair or sharing my breakfast or answering a question that I've already answered one thousand times.

Please believe me when I tell you that I need Him for that.  I need Him to keep me from being irritated and annoyed, and, you guessed it...weary!

I don't want to be weary; I want to stick around and reap a harvest!

Harvesting isn't easy, either.  When the time comes, I'll need Jesus to lift my weary arms and focus my blurry eyes and breathe life into my tired lungs.

I need Him when times seem easy, when I know that times are hard, when I'm at the beginning, when the harvest is near, when it's the middle of the night, and when a new day dawns.

I love that He is more than strong enough, more than eager enough, more than consistent enough, more than loving enough to handle whatever I need.

Because when I become weary, He is already strong.


I am linking up with Blair at Wild and Precious.