I love being a Mum! I like to consider myself a pretty good one too! Everyone is fed healthy food, and is clean, if only for a few minutes a day, and I spend my day kissing and cuddling!!! But just recently, I have had cause to doubt myself and my 'mothering' confidence has taken a battering.
The other day, I was driving my 6 children home from swimming lessons. After numerous warnings to be quiet, I decided to call my sons bluff. I pulled the car over and told them that if they could not be quiet that they could walk home! Being the spirited boys that they are, they called my bluff on me and 4 of my 5 sons jumped out of the car and started running in the direction of home!!!
Now, my youngest son had no chance of keeping up with his older brothers and was quickly left behind, so he hopped back in the car. The older 3, however, kept up their hurtle towards home, leaving me to follow in the car with the younger children.
Eventually the middle, and most compliant, of my big boys gave up and hopped back into the car. The other two kept running and disappeared down a side street! It was nearing night fall, and I began to panic! I called my husband, who called my parents, and soon there were 3 of us on the search for the runaways!
After a bit of a panic, and many prayers sent heavenward, I found them in a back street just as it was getting dark! Punishment was administered and lessons were learnt, both by the boys and myself!!!
Later on that night, the emotions of the whole ordeal got the better of me and I succumbed to tears.
The very next day my youngest son had an hour of pre-prep, a program that helps 4 year olds transition to prep the following year. At the end of the afternoon I waited outside the classroom for my son with all the other parents, but my son did not emerge from the classroom! I went inside to look for him and he was not there! Panicked, I searched the school for him. I rang my husband, on the verge of hyperventilating, and informed him that I had 'lost another one'!
To cut the story short, I eventually located him back at his classroom safe with his teacher. When I saw him I burst into tears with relief!!!
Later that night I pondered my reactions to both events and was comforted with this thought: Although I am a mother hen, I can not keep all my chickens under my wings! There is simply too many of them, and my reach is simply too short! But there is someone else whose wings are big enough to protect all 6 of my children, myself, and everyone else in the world! His wings are so big in fact, that my children can be 100% safe whilst still having the room to grow, learn, and explore!
What and awesome comfort to a mother who has been confronted with her own humanity and is overwhelmed by the magnitude of her responsibility!
Psalm 17:8 says, "Hide me in the shadow of your wings." I pray that God would continue to be the perfect protection for my kids and that He would forever keep them in the shadow of His wings.
