Kids

Kids.

Simple yet so complex. Tears and tantrums and trouble. Imagination. Belly laughs. Learning. With kids there is oh so much learning for everyone involved. They're learning things like colours, numbers, shapes, sharing, and manners. You're learning things like patience, wisdom, gentleness, and perseverance.

Overwhelming.

Children are overwhelming. Their two greatest love languages are time and touch which makes your time their time and your body no longer your own. Personal space is gone. No really, gone.

Overwhelming.

Every moment is a learning opportunity. So your four-year-old wants your help right now but you can't help right now because you're stirring the gravy on the stove: patience. There is only one book and two people want to look at it: sharing. The baby breaks the three-year-old's tractor; controlling anger and forgiveness. Not interrupting while you talk with another adult; respect. Eating all the food on your plate; finishing what you started and being content with what was given you. And in a million other moments you're shaping them into the adults they will become.

Thankfully, in the midst of all the mess and fuss and crazy there are so many blessings. There are I love yous, laughter, and moments when they just "get it". No, they don't get it right away (try toilet training) but they do get it eventually. They connect dots with their own amazing logic. Like that boys are different than girls because they have short hair and pick their noses. That God makes the leaves different colours in the fall because He wants to have a colourful party before it snows. That we could do more if we had eight arms instead of two. That snorting is not polite even if you are a baby.

But perhaps the biggest blessing of all is knowing that these are not your children. These are God's children first and foremost. He has gifted them to you and will use you instrumentally in their lives. But they aren't really yours. So leave them in God's hands, do as He has directed, and pray, pray pray. His grace and spirit are greater than all the frustrations in the world.

I'll leave you with this encouragement from my three-year-old when we were talking about Jesus. We discussed how Jesus loves us, He's sad when we do bad things, and He made the world. Then something clicked and my little guy got excited and said something that we would all do well to remember.

"He has the whole world in His hands and I have the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!"