Anger Deflated
The other night at dinnertime, the kids and I were eating by ourselves because Chris was running late.
My patience was running low, as it typically does at that time of day, especially when there is no Daddy-relief in sight. I was irritated, frustrated. I just wanted relief and I wanted it now.
You know what that feels like some days, don’t you?
I was fussing at G to sit down for the 1,029th time and then yelled at him to “Sit down now!”
He looked at me and said in this quiet voice, “Don’t tell me to sit down.”
And I looked at him, surely with shock and anger and frustration at the backtalk from a 3-year-olds mouth, and said something like, “Yes, you will listen to me, I’m MOMMY.”
And he smiles and excitedly says, “I’m Gabriel!”
All the hot air totally went out of my balloon. Deflated.
No more anger, too much surprise. It was one of those moments where I had to struggle so hard to not laugh in his presence because I was supposed to be disciplining him.
I had to smile inside. Or I probably turned away quickly and smiled! I have found that in my motherhood journey, and most certainly when I was going through postpartum depression, God (through my children) sends sweet reminders and comic relief to ease that burden and release the pressure valve, so to speak. My eyes and ears and heart are opened to how cute they are, how funny they are, how precious they are - and how needed those reminder are to me.
The Holy Spirit knows exactly what we need, when we need it and His timing is always perfect. Trust Him. Look for those God-moments that are precious, the ones intended to release the pressure and remind us He is there and our children are incredible.
He has not forgotten you and He loves to see you smile.
The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17