The Stumbling Sliver

Man, sometimes as a parent you really get schnockered.

You’re cruising along and all of a sudden, BLAMMO.

Something happens.

You realize things aren’t rolling along so smooth.

Whatever it is, let me just tell you that IF as a mom you HAVEN’T had your clock cleaned….it’s comin’. I don’t say that to SCARE you, but to tell you…stuff happens. And all I can say, over the years and through my various trails and tribulations as a parent, is thank God I have Jesus. Literally.

And as I have been considering how no one gets through parenting without getting schnockered,  I remembered a seemingly small yet significant analogy from a couple of years ago.

Indulge me. Read carefully. Get a cup of coffee and contemplate with me.

As happens quite frequently around here during dinner clean up, a glass was dropped and shattered all over the floor. I got on flip flops and grabbed the vacuum to clean it up. Somehow between getting on the flip flops and walking through the shards, a wee tiny piece of glass had imbedded itself into the calloused ball of my foot. I tried for a day or two to get it out, and I actually thought I had. But over the course of the following week, every now and then I would feel a sharp TINGE as I walked. Being as busy as I was, I just naturally adjusted the fall of my foot every step to avoid the painful piece of glass. I was expecting with Verity at the time and the little piece of glass really only got to me every now and then so I ignored it.

The heavier I got with my pregnancy, the less and less I could avoid my foot falling in such a way that the glass did not remind me of its presence. Finally six weeks away from delivering the baby, I made an appointment with our dermatologist and begged him to remove the glass.

Do you know that over the course of those several months, the callous of my foot had covered that piece of glass so much so that finding it became a mini surgery? Blood and skin and needles and razors were all involved in finally uncovering the TINIEST piece of glass that had caused so very much pain.  I limped out of the office with my foot bandaged up and waddled carefully for several days while my wound healed.

It was not fun, but it was necessary.

So many times in our parenting, things slip under the skin of our families like that tiny piece of glass. We may be cognizant of it at the time or we may be oblivious. We feel a tinge of pain here or there but we adjust and keep motoring on. But eventually, the little thing can really fester into something quite unbearable and need a mini surgery. Sometimes, things have to be dealt with. Something needs to be removed or excised from our hearts, our attitudes, our family.

It may not be fun or feel good, but it is necessary.

And even though what I am writing may scare some of you, please, don’t let it. I have to tell you this. I have to let you know that sometimes tuff stuff happens in our lives, in our families. Sometimes, we get wounded, and we need to take it easy and heal. Our loved ones may need us to help them. Especially as our kids age, we may need encouragement as parents that when the storm comes, when the winds rage, when the hurt and fear are just about overwhelming, we serve a God who can calm the storm or walk on the water through it with us. He may let us experience some rough waters but He never leaves us alone in them and He always encourages us and strengthens us.

There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.

And when you find yourself like I have at times…reeling and staggering and wondering WHAT THE HECK just happened here…remember, you have a body of believers, a family in faith, and a loving and graceful God who will walk with you through your challenges. He is there for you. This family is here for you. And I believe that He uses all things together for our good. Even the rough patches in our parenting…even the challenging times with our children or in our marriages, will leave us stronger in the end.