Practical Post #4: Sweet Sleep

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sleep is a daily reminder that these earthly, temporal bodies have limits. And those limits are especially highlighted when little humans are involved. I remember one of the biggest surprises, when I first became a mother, was how little you actually sleep during those newborn days (and the whole first year can be a little rough at times)! There are days where I feel like I’ve come to the end of myself and on those days, I remember that even when I feel like I just can’t do it—God is the “strength of my heart” and He will accomplish His purposes in my life. Many long nights with my wakeful infant end early in the morning, with my hungry early-risers—not to mention the many reasons to be up in the night with 5 kids, 8 and under (potty accidents, nightmares, illness, etc). On those mornings, I’m thinking, “I can’t teach math with patience, I can’t give instructions with kindness, I can’t break up sibling fights with grace…but Lord, you can”. Truly, we can do all that He’s called us to do when we rely on His strength and not on ourselves.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What’s helped us sleep…a little more

Here’s a list of things that have been helpful to me over the years:

1. If you can’t get baby to go to sleep, try wearing him/her in a carrier or wrap and vacuuming. In my experience, my babies fall asleep within 10 minutes, almost every time (clean floors are an extra bonus).
2. Put screens away at night. They will only make it harder to fall back asleep.
3. Ask for help. My husband and I used to tag-team the newborn nights. He would sleep the first part of the night and then I’d pass baby off in the early morning hours and get a good stretch in. Accept offers from family and friends for cleaning and meals.
4. If you’re breastfeeding or recovering from giving birth, have a carb/protein rich snack before bed so you don’t wake up hungry. (Can anyone else relate to a spoonful of PB at 3am when they’d much rather be sleeping?)
5. White noise and pacifiers—there are different camps on these. I’m in the camp that these are good and helpful.
6. I didn’t have a rocking chair for my first three babies, but I’ve really enjoyed having one with my last two. It’s cut down on the late night floor-walking. I just have to be careful not to lull myself to sleep, too.
7. Try to nap during the day. If I’m able to close my eyes and rest for even just ten minutes or so in the afternoon, I find that I feel much better throughout the evening. If my husband (or a grandma) is home, I’ll pass the kids off and take a longer nap.
8. Don’t panic. When it comes to sleep, there are some hard phases with little ones—but they do end. Before you tearfully go scouring the internet (I’ve never done this, of course) to figure out what to do….
9. Pray. Wisdom only comes from God (cf. Proverbs 2:6). This is the number one habit we should employ in every area of parenting. Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we and our kids need and he will lavishly give us wisdom when we ask.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭LSB‬‬

Pure Joy

Motherhood has been, and I’m sure will continue to be, a sanctifying experience. It’s been a mirror that’s revealed my self-indulgence—showing me how I love sleep, quiet morning hours, myself…a little too much. At times, it’s been a refining fire that’s brought me from delusional self-reliance to never-failing God-reliance. But more than all of these, being the wife of my husband and the mother of my kids has been one of the greatest joys of my life—second only to the joy of following my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God, who is love (1 John 4:8), shows us how to love. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, emphasis mine). Love and sacrifice go hand-in-hand. Love calls us, at times, to serve the needs of others over ourselves. Not that we act like martyrs—no, treating our children like they’re burdens would certainly not be loving. We know they are blessings, gifts from above (cf. Psalms 127:3). Contrary to the lost and blinded belief system of this world, we don’t need to run away from things that are hard—not all of them are bad. If God has called us to it, He will enable us to do it—and will work it out for our good and His glory (cf. Romans 8:28).

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬