So, it all started a couple of weeks ago when we were leaving to go to London... Remember that cough I was talking about? Well, Micah has apparently been fighting the same "bug" that caused that... and it she's a trooper.
All week Micah has been "off", and I could tell because she hasn't been her usual self, which typically consists of all-day smiles and happy babble. It all came to a yucky head yesterday when she woke up. We heard her making a shrill-like, miserable cry, and we both knew she was not having a good day. She is pretty good at communicating how she's feeling, which is a characteristic I love about her.
She had a snot-covered, red-eyed, splotchy face, but she was still trying hard to smile when we greeted her... it just wasn't easy, because she was a wee bit frustrated about life at that particular moment. As the morning progressed, I felt her getting hotter to the touch, and as diaper changes continued to increase in number due to sneeze-induced "sharts", I decided it was time to call her new GP (General Practitioner). When I called, she immediately responded and agreed to see MG as soon as we could get to the office- thank you NHS (National Heath Service)!
The doc was kind and gentle with Micah. She told me that she is battling a virus, and that it could take up to 3 weeks to completely fade out of her system- what? That's crazy talk! You mean I have to battle this spitty, pukey, mucusy, laundry-backlogging, miserable beast-of-a-virus for THAT long? We decided this is probably the worst of it, and that she's on her way to her happy self in no time (a prayer in faith-ha).
When I put Micah down for her nap yesterday, I breathed a sigh of relief, because I had a "moment" of calm, and as I poured my coffee I heard so clearly in my mind this phrase, "freely you have received, freely give." Hmmm... what do you mean, Lord? I wrestled with this thought for a few moments, and then I thought I'd go to the source of this phrase-Matthew 10 (I didn't just know this reference off the top of my head, I had to search a bit- I'm not a Bible School "scholar" :) ).
As I read through this passage, I felt a nudge. This "nudge" was encouraging, yet humbling at the same time, because when I have been talking about "ministry" lately, I thought it referred to loving and serving others I encounter outside of our home through the day. But as I read through Jesus' commission to his disciples to give and serve freely, I sensed that God was redirecting the target of my "ministry"- my baby girl. I spent quite a bit of time thanking God for the 24/7 time I get to spend with her during this year-long adventure, whether it means she's 100% joyful or 100% miserable.
So, this so called "virus" is gonna be outta here soon, but during the in-between, I choose to love her, wipe her, sing to her, wipe her again, suck her snot, and cuddle.
All I can say is, grace is good. I understand a bit more what my mom meant when she said, "you won't understand until you have your own kids..." She mentioned this phrase during multiple situations as Scott and I were growing up, and I "get it" now.
A little "shout out" to parents everywhere- you ROCK at what you do! You serve your kids with the love that God placed in your heart to give them, and you're doing a great job! "Freely you have received, freely give", whether that be your babies, toddlers, tweens or grown kids... or anyone else! Ministry is messy-sometimes quite literally :), but keep going, and even when you feel you've reached your "limit", there's more strength available to you, just ask.
Thanks for the love, Momma! Thanks for "freely giving" to us. Thanks for not expecting anything in return and for setting a beautiful example of how God interacts with us.
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