One-on-One Time
Lizzy and I enjoyed a “secret keeper girl” sleepover on Friday night with a dozen other mom and daughter duos. (If you’ve got a preteen girl and haven’t heard of the SKG curriculum, it’s a super sweet resource for growing godly girls. Check it out at http://secretkeepergirl.com/What_is_SKG.aspx). The chats on friendship were delightful, the flashlight disco dancing was a blast, and the ice cream sundae bar felt like true indulgence, but what blessed me most was the chance to focus on just ONE child for twelve long hours.
For me, one of the greatest challenges as a mom of five is living with the feeling that there’s NEVER quite enough of me to go around. It seems SOMEONE is always getting the short end of the stick. On some days it’s the baby who gets slighted as she sacrifices toddle time in the yard for hours strapped in the carseat while we fly from one big kid activity to the next. At other times it’s my competitive firstborn who is frustrated by a mother who can’t finish a simple game of one-on-one because there’s a three-year old clinging to her knee. Yet on other days, it is the three year old who misses his playdate at the park because the baby’s unusually long nap topples our plans.
When I grapple with the feeling of I’m not enough, God replies quite simply, “No, you’re not. But I AM.”
So, I begin each day with a simple prayer: Lord, please fill in the gaps that I leave. Meet the needs I cannot. Make each child feel like Your one and only today!
And I rejoice in the incomprehensible truth articulated so beautifully by A.W. Tozer:
An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children.
He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part,
but to each one He gives all of Himself
as fully as if there were no others.
(Hallelujah!)
Today’s Overflow: “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands…“ Jeremiah 32:17-18a
Ahh yes, I hear you on this. Glad you had fun with your oldest girl and hope she (and you) felt blessed. What a great group of girls (and moms) you had together too!
What a great quote – and totally difficult to understand in our “human” world. Oh, fighting the selfishness in it all is hard for me, too, because I have things I’d like to do and 3 other people have things they want me to do! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the struggle.
~Robin 🙂