For my boys, hearing, listening, following directions, and (oh, let me just say it) compliance with others is like pulling teeth. (*Cringe*). When you throw their autism into the mix, it makes for some pretty difficult days.
There are many moments when I have no idea how I’m going to make it until the end of the week. The constant demands, the needs, and the challenging behaviors can be like fingernails across the chalkboard. I have to confess that sometimes the sound of their approaching footsteps makes me want to hide in the pantry. And I will neither confirm nor deny that while in there, I compulsively eat chips and/or dark chocolate.
These are the days when I’d describe myself as a parenting failure.
If I asked you to describe yourself, what would you say?
Would you tell me your job title or refer to your relationships – husband, wife, son, daughter, friend? Would you talk about your parenting successes or parenting failures? Your dreams or your past? These are parts of who you are, but you are more than what you do.
You are a human being who is loved by God. You are intelligent, beautiful, loved, and not alone.
Take a minute to think about that – God loves you, and not because of what you do…or fail to do. He loves you for who you are and will never leave you because of anything you’ve done. Isn’t that just the kind of love you’ve always dreamed about?
You might not think of yourself as exceptional, but you are. You are a hand-crafted original. God made you on purpose, no accidents of fate or chance. The Bible says that when God created man and woman He “saw everything that He had made, indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) God created you and He is interested in the details of your life. The Bible tells us that Gods knows each of us better than we know ourselves – he even knows how many hairs are on your head! (Matthew 10:30)
It’s pretty incredible to think about. The same God who created the stars and turns the colors of the leaves in Fall, created you. God created you to have a relationship with Him. You are His masterpiece and He loves you…even when you’re feeling like a parenting failure.
Mike, thank you so much for these encouraging words. Even though my boys are grown, I still have days when I feel like a failure! But I hang on to the words the Lord gave me many years ago…that I am who he created me to be; my very footprint was fashioned by him; and in his book are written all the days of my life. That truth gives me the wisdom I need to tell the Enemy to shut up and go away! I will choose God’s words. I will choose life!
Absolutely beautiful! What a perfect read for my Monday morning in what looks to be a challenging week ahead of me. Thank you.
Beautiful!
Wow!! God’s timing is so beautiful…Yesterday I couldn’t stop crying because I felt like such a “failure”. Life has just been overwhelming lately and I think it all crashed down on me yesterday. Thank-you for these words..I feel like God was speaking through you …to me:) God bless!
Oh my, you’re in God company here at Not Alone! I feel like the one thing I can count on after a “peak week” experience…is a “valley” week experience. One truth that I cling to is that “God’s mercies are new and fresh each day.” It’s nice to know that I don’t have to rely on yesterday’s emotional and physical energy for today…God provides a fresh supply each day. God bless you!