You Can't Do It

How's that for encouraging? This seems to be the message I keep getting lately in every area of life: you can't do it. It's actually an encouraging message! You see, I'm not capable, talented or wise enough. I'm not sufficiently loving, caring or compassionate...and heaven knows I'm not patient enough. I came to the great realization that NOBODY is born naturally patient. We've all said things like "I just don't have patience for that." Well, no one does. "I'm so patient" said no one ever! :)

There are situations and seasons of life that are just plain hard. Surely you can point to several in your past or your present. I thought it was just me for a while, but every time people see us with our three kids ages 3 and under, they give us that look that says "that's tough". And they don't mean it in a bad way. It is tough. Specially if they themselves have graduated from the baby/toddler stage of parenting, they know. It has helped me feel validated that I'm not just bad at this...this really is hard and it's ok to struggle. Parenting is one of the hardest things we have ever done and we are only three years into it!

Then there's marriage... no wonder they say most divorces happen when the kids are toddlers or after they've graduated from school! Take two sleep-deprived, exhausted-in-every-way people and surround them with cute darlings who cry a lot, stink often and who cause them to self-sacrifice in more ways than they ever imagined... let's just say, it's not a very romantic picture!

And yet, I can honestly say that I LOVE my life with all my heart. I am in love with my sweet husband more than ever, and I melt with love over my beautiful babies every single day. The reason is that I'm learning more and more that I can't do this at all. But nothing is impossible with God! I'm never enough, but He always is. I don't have what it takes, but He has that and more! If I had any bit of capability for managing on my own, I wouldn't need God in my life. But I do need Him and that is why even some of the toughest times can be the most beautiful. I've learned that even asking Him to take hardships away isn't always the best answer because it is through these things that He makes every day more beautiful than the last.

It's still hard. It's more work than I ever imagined. I still cry. I often feel frazzled. And then I remember I can't do it because I'm not supposed to do it alone. If God is for us, who can be against us?