Daycare Bug Reflections
It’s been a doozy of a week, which usually make for a great time of reflection. Here’s what we’ve been reminded of:
Name out loud when you feel the enemy throwing jabs. When Ryan and I make it a point to tell each other we notice the enemy attacking our marriage, our family, our health, etc., it resets us and reminds us that our fight is against the enemy and not each other. Exhaustion and sickness are at an all time high since baby girl joined our lives, and how easily we can start to slide downward from serving one another well to feeling like we deserve some time to be selfish and not have to change the next diaper or wash the next bottle or soothe the next cry (because we deserve this break way more than the other person does duh…) How easily we can start to assume negative assumptions about one another and slip into feeling like we’re fighting the enemy alone. Naming the enemy’s attacks and declaring we’re on the same team sure makes the fight a heck of a lot easier.
Don’t slip into thinking your trials are too small. In the last two weeks, I returned to my full time job, Mila started daycare, we’ve had the stomach bug, pink eye and a nasty virus run through our home, a curveball with Mila’s sleep schedule, and a water heater leak. Oh and a cumulative 4 hours of sleep - just kidding, but it sure feels that way. It’s felt heavy and yet I’ve struggled with feeling guilt for feeling overwhelmed among all the really sad, much bigger trials and tribulations that are happening around the world recently. It’s hard for me to remember sometimes that the hardships we experience in this world is not how the Lord designed it. It all hurts Him - the stomach bug, the school shootings, the water heater leaks. It’s not what He designed. His design was perfect and beautiful. It was free of tears and sorrows and worries and weariness. So yes, trials sometimes feel big and sometimes feel small, but He cares about them all and He cares about us! More than the birds in the air and the flowers in the field! (Matthew 6:26-28) In the big trials and the small ones, He’ll comfort us - His mercies are steadfast! (Lamentations 3:22-23)
WORK at establishing community, even when it’s hard or uncomfortable. Ryan and I both had incredible community at Texas A&M and there’s something about transitioning out of college and into marriage that makes community hard. Finding time feels hard. Pushing past the uncomfortable “I barely know you” stage is hard. Giving up a weeknight that could be used to relax and watch a show together feels hard. And SURPRISE, throwing a baby into the mix feels hard. Ryan and I have been super intentional about establishing community within the last few years and this week we got to see just what a gift community is and why the Lord tells us to seek it out. We’ve had soup delivered, dinners sent to our doorstep, so much help from Papa with daycare drop offs and pick ups, pharmacy and grocery runs, friends checking in and covering us in prayers, and even had someone offer to take Mila girl last night for a sleepover so Ryan and I could get rest as we still fight this crummy virus. We can’t even begin to explain how loved we’ve felt and again, how much it’s reminded us that we’re not called to run this Race alone - it’s a whole lot easier with community.
Hoping this provides encouragement! If all else, it will be here for me to read in a few weeks when we come down with another daycare virus and I forget Ryan is on my team, and I feel guilty for my itty bitty trials in life and I want to skip out on time with community :)
Final reflection: Daycare bugs also equals extra snuggles. Win.
