Party at My Crib! 2 am!

Parenting in God's Promises

As mothers, we are used to being tired. Sometimes it’s a hungry newborn or sick toddler waking us up. Other times we choose to “burn the midnight oil” in order to get a few things accomplished without little ones following behind us, undoing all of our hard work. Whatever the scenario, when you become a parent, it sometimes seems that sleep becomes optional.

A few weeks ago my house was a disaster, so I decided to stay up and finish everything I had wanted to accomplish that day—laundry, dishes, straightening, etc. As my head hit the pillow around midnight, I heard a little voice calling out, “Mommy! Mommy!” Perfect timing. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore him, praying that my one year old would just go back to sleep on his own, but instead his cries got louder and louder. I went into his room and picked him up. Maybe I could just pat his back for a few minutes and lay him back down. Nope. He wasn’t having it. I brought him into my bed, hoping I could get him to sleep on my chest, but he wanted to party. Hubby jumped ship and slept on the floor of his basement office in a sleeping bag so that he wouldn’t be a total zombie at work the next day. Finally, finally at 2:30 am I was able to lull my little one back to sleep. Maybe he’ll sleep in tomorrow, I thought. It was my only hope. Buuuuut we were up and at ‘em by 6 am. Awesome. How was I ever going to get through this day?

When I was in college (pre-kids, so before I truly knew the meaning of the word “tired”) I had a little 90 year-old lady who took me under her wing and would always share her vast amount of wisdom with me. During one of our conversations, she told me, “Abby, if there is ever a time when you’re exhausted and you’re not sure where your energy will come from, pray the words of Isaiah 40:30-31, and God will get you through.” Those verses say, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

That promise is so powerful because it’s absolutely true. When we’re at the end of ourselves, when we don’t have the strength to go on, we can call on the Lord, and he will renew us. I have truly found that when I pray through those verses on a day when I feel like I have nothing left to give, God has given me the strength to go on. When “Abby by herself” would be crabby and short-tempered running on only a few hours of sleep, “Abby with the Lord’s strength” has a peace that allows her to take care of her kids, run errands, and get through her day without turning into Cruella DeVille.

God’s Word is full of His promises.

Are you worried? Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do you need wisdom? James 1:5 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Are you burdened? In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus proclaims, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Sometimes we think of God as this distant guy that’s just “out there” somewhere watching the world spin around, but he isn’t. His promises are as true today as they were 2000 years ago. So the next time you’re tired or sick or just don’t know how you’re going to make it through, call on the name of the Lord and believe His promises. He is powerful, He loves you, and He will be faithful to give you what you need.

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25 Comments

  1. myturnforus says:

    A great message;) Thank you

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Evelyn! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Love love love this!!!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Erin! Hope you have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  3. You have no idea how much I needed this….yesterday was a difficult mom/wife/employee day all around and I was feeling very anxious. And then I read this post this morning and I really think God was giving me a gentle reminder through you! Thanks so much! I’ll be doing my own post about my hectic day and will link back to this 🙂

    1. abbylawson says:

      Awww, Misti, you totally just made my day! I’m so glad were encouraged. God is so good, right?! I love when He puts things in front of me right when I need them! Thank you so much for reading. Have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

      1. As promised, I finally got to my post today- I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and feedback! Your kudos are towards the end. Here is the link: https://wp.me/p3jYOT-7H
        Thanks 🙂

        1. abbylawson says:

          Thank you, Misti! Popping over to check it out now!

          ~Abby =)

  4. now at home mom says:

    Thank you Abby, I needed this today! 🙂 beautiful words that I needed to be reminded of!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Ingrid! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

      ~Abby =)

  5. Pingback: When Happyness gets tough… | Practical Happyness
  6. Diane Marie Haller says:

    Thank you for the great reminders!!! And, thank you for linking up at Family Fun Friday on HappyAndBlessedHome.com! Blessings!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you for hosting! Hope you had a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  7. Bethany Wright Dearden says:

    Great post! Prayer is the only thing that got me through the first year of my son’s life. I am terrified to have another one! I guess prayer will get me through that, too 🙂

    1. abbylawson says:

      I remember thinking that same thing when my oldest son was very young! I guess the feeling wore off because we had #2! We’re done now, though–2 crazy boys are enough for me! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  8. Fawn Over Baby says:

    Amen! Wonderful reminder! 🙂

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  9. Kelly @ View Along the Way says:

    This is so great! Don’t you love that God has a word even for tired mamas who just want a little sleep?

    1. abbylawson says:

      He really thinks of everything, doesn’t he?! Amazing. 🙂 Hope you’re having a fun weekend with your family, Miss Kelly! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      ~Abby =)

  10. artsychicksrule says:

    Wise words and such a great post Abby! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! (oh and that picture of your little one with the words…hilarious!! but oh so true ;)…I so remember those days!)
    Nancy

    1. abbylawson says:

      Haha–thanks! That is my now-4-year-old…I can’t believe how chubby he used to be! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by–have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  11. Hello! Thanks for sharing this wonderful post – we saw that cute face on I Heart Nap Time Sunday Scoop and just had to follow the link!
    Please come by to share your great works with us
    BeBetsy Link and Hop!
    Many thanks and best of days ~ Sharon and Denise BeBetsy

    Hope you get some sleep! 🙂

    1. abbylawson says:

      Aww, thanks so much! And thank you for the invite! Hope you ladies have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  12. My 1 year old did the same thing a few nights ago after i stayed up LATE to get more done, and MY husband “jumped ship”as well to sleep on the basement couch!! Just reminds me we are all basically going through the same things as mamas. Thankful for the grace and strength of our Lord.
    Warm blessings, Joanna

    1. abbylawson says:

      Totally agreed! It is so nice to have other mamas to commiserate with! Thanks so much for stopping by, Joanna!

      ~Abby =)

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