God Sneaks In When Moms Aren't Looking

I thought when my first child was born that there wouldn’t be much “God time” in my life until I was quite old. However, God sneaks in when moms aren't looking.Our first son arrived when I was 25 years young and number six was born 16 years later. That youngest child graduates from high school in a few weeks. Children have been a part of my life for the last 34 years and daily devotions weren’t always possible during those years. However, the raising of the kids has been more of “the raising of Mom” than Mom ever realized it would be when she and Dad started this adventure.Birthing babies taught me the awesomeness of Creator God and that I can endure extreme, physical pain.Labor and birth educated me in the proper place to leave my fashion sense—outside the door. Few things are as beautiful in God’s eyes as a mother in labor.New babies let me know I could live without a shower for many days and God didn’t care.I soon realized that I could have my “quiet time” while nursing a baby at 2:00 in the morning.Changing diapers required humility where little had been before.Living with toddlers taught me that eating dirt provided needed minerals and that I needed to relax in the moment.Homeschooling allowed my impatience to rise to the surface where God could deal with it.My children taught me that a cluttered home is godly---God’s people live there and are enjoying life.Cooking countless meals developed my culinary skills beyond cold cereal and, along with that, the realization that God enjoyed cooking with me.Hospital trips developed my faith in the Great Physician.Organizing a home, managing six kids, and homeschooling provided the confidence needed to tackle anything God asked me to do in the wider world.Raising teenagers sent me to the prayer closet more often than I care to remember. Watching my kids leave home has taught me that they are not mine to hold onto anymore—God is perfectly capable of taking care of them and I need to stay out of his way.I never knew that laughter was the language of heaven until I had children. God sneaks in when moms aren’t looking. How would you finish this statement? “Through raising kids, God is teaching me _________.”

In Him together, Susan Gaddis