It's Alright to Be Human

"It's alright to be human." So begins the devotional for this morning, and I can't help but believe that God is once again speaking to me exactly where I am.

This past weekend Brad and I babysat on Saturday night for our neighbor's two kids- a 2.5 year old and a 4.5 month old. Everything was going so smoothly - both kids were asleep at 9pm- that we even gave each other a high five! But then, a little over an hour later- at 10pm, the toddler woke up crying and upset. When Brad went with him to get some water, he threw up in the hall. He actually calmed him back to sleep and cleaned up after him, but then a while later he woke up again crying and went into his parents' room to look for them. (Unbeknownst to us, he also threw up while he was in there!) The poor thing! We couldn't help but feel bad for the poor little guy. Unfortunately, he started crying every time Brad went to text his parents and let them know... so they actually came home before we even had time to let them know.

Well, the most important thing is that he is fine now. After he got it all out of his system, he was running around and playing the next morning. But, we still both felt bad about a series of mistakes- not calling his parents right away, possibly letting him get his hands on a bad strawberry (maybe that's what caused it), not knowing he slept with a nightlight. I cried that night and prayed so much for the little boy. And then the next day, even after knowing he was doing fine, I sobbed again... my sorries didn't seem to make up for all the things that had gone wrong, and I wondered if I'll ever be able to be an okay mother. But, maybe it's God's way of preparing us in some way... there will probably be times when we don't know what to do as parents, especially when a child is sick and you feel sad and upset and unsure of what to do.

But none of us are prepared to be perfect parents, I suppose. And that's why we need God. We can't do this huge task on our own. I'm sure we'll make many mistakes, in our own lives and as parents... but we can take heart knowing what God promises us:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

It's okay to be human as long as God is God in our lives, showing His power in our imperfection and guiding us when we feel lost and incapable.