Seek First: The Nursery Floor Moment

I remember clearly the day– 13 months after giving life to my first child– that I realized I had made a terrible mistake. I had taken the wrong child home from the hospital! Oh, he’d worn that cute little hospital tag around his ankle that declared me as his mom. Amazingly, the child I thought was mine had borne a striking resemblance to my husband’s side of the family. Of course, one visit to a Bruxvoort family reunion explains my mistaken assumption. After all, what bald baby wouldn’t resemble a family where hairless male heads reign?

 I’ll admit, when the baby I called mine was in the cute and mute stage of infancy, his identity as my son seemed plausible. However, the moment my firstborn began to talk and move, I had my doubts.
Then, one warm September day in the fall of 1999, my secret hypothesis was confirmed. The child in my home couldn’t possibly be mine!

I discovered the truth at naptime– at least that’s what we called the time of day when I’d place my sleep-allergic child in his bed and pray for a moment of peace. On that particular day, I had maintained a commendable calm and optimistic attitude as noon approached.  I had read my small son an extra round of books, had done the “before bed bop” in the middle of the living room and had shamelessly bribed him with a trip to the duck pond when his simple hour of sleep was done. Nonetheless, as I placed my two-foot-tall-child in bed and walked out of the room, he immediately began screaming and tossing the contents of his crib onto the floor.
After an hour of screaming and tantrum-throwing (the baby, not me!), the apartment finally grew quiet. Besides the pathetic “hiccupping” that inevitably follows a prolonged bout of crying, the nursery was calm. My one-year-old had finally succumbed to sleep. Not wanting to disturb the slumbering child, I left the nursery door closed and refrained from gazing on the miraculous sight. At two-o clock on the dot, I heard a happy voice cry, “Mommy!”

Ready to greet my well-rested son, I waltzed into his bedroom with a smile; and then froze. .  All over the nursery floor were hundreds of bits and pieces of shredded mini blinds. Right next to the window that had once been covered was a small tow-headed boy– at that moment I was sure he was not mine–who stood buck naked in his crib with diaper in hand. “No nigh, nigh, mama” he said as I sank to the floor and cried, because that’s the only thing a mom can do when she realizes she’s been given the wrong child.

Have you been there? Ever wanted to question God on his choice of blessings? “Yes, God, I KNOW this child’s precious to you, but could I have a different one? I’m just not very good at parenting this kind!” No matter how much we believe the truth that our children are “marvelously made,” sometimes their uniqueness can baffle us. Our children may not act, think, or view the world like we do. Quite honestly, we may wish that they did! The flip-side of the wonder of uniqueness is the faith required to parent a child whose design does not match what we would have chosen.

If I’m  honest, I have to admit that my moment on the nursery room floor wasn’t the last time I ever wondered if God had given me the right child. In fact, at one time or another I have had a “nursery floor moment of doubt” with every one of the five children God has given me.  Early in the saga of parenthood, whenever a nursery -floor moment would unfold, I would find myself wishing that having children were more like visiting the candy store. “I’d like something sweet and not too sticky. And nothing that leaves a strange aftertaste, please.”

For better or worse, God has never consulted me before He’s created my children. He has, however, used each one to teach me some amazing lessons about surrender and trust.

This week, let’s get honest about the challenges of raising the unique children we’ve been given. Let’s look at what God says about shaping our children and then explore what it means to “surrender to the Potter” as He sculpts our offspring into the masterpieces He has planned.

Today’s Treasure:  “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3