In Agreement

Lately when I take my three kids to the grocery store I get the same standard comment: “You have your hands full!” It doesn’t usually bother me a whole lot. For one thing, it’s true. I do have my hands full. And since I clearly remember the pain of when my arms were empty, I wouldn’t want things any other way.

But I’ll also admit that having three children who all still want to be held is sometimes overwhelming. When I’m at the grocery store, I’m a woman on a mission. I can’t stop moving or Autumn (who’s usually strapped into the Ergo) will start to cry, and Micah (who’s usually riding up top in the seat) will try to climb out of the cart, and Sky (who’s usually walking) will start yanking things off the shelf. I probably look a little stressed out while we’re shopping, and I guess sometimes I am.

Maybe that’s why a different comment I got recently meant so much to me. I was standing near the check out, stuffing my change back into my wallet before we headed outside when an older woman, one of the store’s employees, came over and said hello. Then she studied my three children for a minute and looked at me very seriously and said, “You are blessed.”

I think as Christians our main job is to agree with the Lord instead of the world. The world often puts parenting in a negative light. But God says children are a blessing. Not just when they’re behaving. Or fit into a comfortable budget. Or sleep through the night. They simply are a blessing. Always. And there was something very powerful about hearing those words spoken about my children by a total stranger in a chaotic moment. I got a bit choked up as we walked out to the van.

2012 has been an intense year so far for our family. But God is constantly encouraging us, everywhere we go. I’m so thankful.