Bedtime routine exhausts me most nights. When it is over you’ll often find me laying across my bed wondering what just happened. I swear it takes an hour to trek my way across the terrain of baths, brushing teeth, begging a toddler to go pee, and pjs before they are actually in the bed. The final phase is stories, prayer, and exactly three songs of their choosing before lights are out. Let us also not forget the toddler sightings of at least twice to tell us one more thing before its truly over.  You feel me folks?

I know this is just a phase. And I know it is just a phase because in my small time as a parent I have already said goodbye to bottles, night time feedings, strict schedules and rocking babies to sleep. Phases have clear beginnings and lost endings in our memories. No one realizes the last time you rock a child to sleep, for example, is actually the last time. Its weeks or months later that you think to yourself, “oh that’s over and we’re on to the next thing.” And so you do just that…the next thing. Phase ends, new phase begins. Wash repeat.

The thing that is difficult though is that while you are in the middle of a phase you may often feel defeated. You’ll wonder if you can make it through without crying, yelling, or losing your temper.  You want to be better, the best even! Good gracious, it’s hard.

As a believer your heavenly Father knows all of these emotions. And I promise my next sentences will not include asking you to give him your day and watch it all magically change as if christianity is some miracle vitamin to life. Nope! You are going to fail, big time. It will not immediately get easier after you say amen. You will even forget to enjoy the phase at times. I think this is normal though because you are a flawed and beautiful human. And I also think God knows this, all of this.

Our Father, beautiful Jesus, promised us hard times as well as promised us that through him overcoming was possible. So I say we do just that and carry on. We ask God to help us overcome these phases and get through them. I pray I yell less and give my kids more grace.  After all they are just learning, as are we. Leaning in to Christ is the only way. Coffee helps too.

So my friends hug yourself, look up, and then look ahead. He is with you. He wouldn’t have promised it so many times in his letters if he didn’t mean it. Onward!