The Softness Of A Mother

THE SOFTNESS OF A MOTHER

Sometimes the days seemed so long,
but the nights seemed even longer.

Newborn feedings, teething, bad dreams, growing pains.

Overwhelming exhaustion.

You couldn’t wait for bed time, just for a little peace and quiet.
Until the crying started all over again.

But then there would be nights that just pulled at your heart strings.
The soft glow of the moon shining in on their tiny faces as you watched them sleep.

You didn’t think love could squeeze your heart any tighter.

They came to us always.
We were Mama.
We made their boo boos and their heart breaks better.
And at night, when all the world was fast asleep, they were safe there.
Safe under our roof.
Safe in the quiet.

No one warned us how much our heart would feel that squeeze as one by one they moved out~
until one day they were all gone.

You think back to the days when they were safe, and now as you lay in bed looking at the vast darkness outside, you wonder if they are okay.
Maybe hundreds of miles away.
No longer under your roof.
No longer in their childhood bedroom.
They are an adult now, in a dormitory or maybe their first apartment or house.

That quiet you longed for so many years ago is now an unwelcome guest.

You can’t control their safety.

You worry.

You think back to all the nights they cried for you when they were little and you held them close and rocked them back to sleep.

It was in your DNA. It was your job. You were the one who made sure they were okay.

And now you aren’t.

The reality of that hits you.

You thought it was so hard during those baby years. You never truly realized how simple life was back then~until now.
This is a hard you’re not sure you can get past. You wish you could hold them and rock them again.

You can’t, but Someone else can.
Someone else is.
The same One Who holds you close.
The same One Who gives you the peace that passes understanding.
The same One you cry out to when you’re hurting.
Just as He is with you, He is with your adult children.

Release your control and understand that He is with them even now. He knows their hurts, their disappointments, their adult growing pains.

He will take care of them, no matter how far away they are. There is no need to worry. He is the great Shepherd and even though they are adults now~they are still, and always will be His little lambs.

Just like they will always be
your little lambs.

When you look up at the stars tonight, they are sleeping under that same sky. The soft glow of the moon shines in on them as their heavenly Father watches them sleep. They aren’t as far as you think. They are right there next to you, asleep in your Savior’s arms.

So let Him sing to your heart the soft lullabies of peace and comfort. Let Him hold you as you fall asleep, knowing that His great arms are holding them as well.

You can let go of that control and give it to Him.

It wasn’t ever really ours to begin with.
It was always His.
He just poured down His love a little extra in the softness of mama until He knew they would be okay on their own.

Without you~
But always with Him.


Psalm 42:8