Short on Sleep, Long on Grace

I spent the night with a stomach bug this past week, and divided my wee morning hours between the physiological needs of myself and those of our 2-month-old baby. When dawn finally broke to end a miserable night, I was still exhausted. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and spend a few more hours between the sheets. But as a mom, I have responsibilities that veto my chances of signing off duty. Our children would need to be homeschooled. They would come with stories for me to express interest in and would bring their troubles for me to solve. The baby would need my attention. I had little heart to do any of it in my tired state until I thought of Jesus and a lesson I recently learned from His life.

I picked up my Bible one bleary-eyed morning a few weeks ago and started reading mid-chapter where I had left off the last time. It was in the Gospel of John and the story of Jesus' arrest. After being taken out of the garden, He was made to stand before religious leaders and the governor where he was questioned and accused. Then there was a little phrase in the NIV that said, "By now it was early morning. . ."

That little phrase stopped me. I scanned back across previous verses that talked about it being cold enough that fires were started for men to warm themselves. Jesus spent a long, cold night being questioned and falsely accused. Yet even with the heavy emotional and physical demands, he always spoke with wisdom and demonstrated tremendous self-control. 

I faced my day a little differently after reading that story. Though my situation was vastly different than His, Jesus knew what it was like to have a tiring night without being able to sign off the grid in the morning. He chose grace.

I'm definitely still learning this lesson; I function way better when I'm well-rested. But Jesus' example on that dark, cold night shoots down self-pity's excuses and pushes me on to experience deeper levels of what His grace can do in me.

----------------

Some days require less grit and grace to enjoy them fully. Today it was raining and overcast, which is my all-time favorite type of day. The children played in the large puddle at the edge of our property until they were filthy and freezing and came shivering to the door. I wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with dirty footprints, muddy clothing, and extra baths, but with rainy season quickly coming to an end, I didn't have the heart to make the children stay inside. Playing in the rain is one of their favorite things to do.

My way of enjoying the rain was a little different than splashing in puddles. Even before the baby was born, I dreamed of taking him onto the porch some rainy day so I could snuggle him in a blanket while it was cool enough to do so. Today was the second time that happened. He cooperated nicely, but I have a feeling I was the one who loved it the most.

Enjoying the rain from the porch
before seeking permission to play
in the puddles