Sick Day

Confession: When my husband is sick (which he is right now), it drives me up the wall that he is practically on his death bed from the flu. I mean, really, as the mom, do we ever get to just lay in bed all day when we're sick? I am so jealous of his ability to shirk all household responsibility and just hole up in the bedroom for going on 36 hours now!

Truth: I know that my jealousy is rooted in selfishness. I selfishly want it all. I want to be able to lay in bed sick for a day, but more than that, I want to be able to say with pride that I didn't, and that I don't ever get to. If I were truly loving my husband, I would be concerned for him and wishing the best for him. In fact, maybe if I started treating him with more care when he's sick, he might actually want to come out of the bedroom!

Call me overprotective

Confession: My daughter, who will be 5 years old next month had her first sleepover last night and I cried when I drove away. Anytime I leave one of my children somewhere, I have this overwhelming "mother hen" feeling like I just want to gather up all of my chicks and take them home. And I know that this is only the beginning of letting go - someday, God-willing, I will actually drive this child to college, leave her in a dorm (or a den of wolves, as it seems), and drive away (or even fly away) from her for weeks on end. How in the world will I ever do that? It is an absolute overwhelming feeling of dread for me.

Truth: I want my children to be all that God intends for them to be, and they cannot be that in the security and protection of my home forever. At some point they have to become independent, and my job is to make that transition the best that it can be for them and to prepare them to make wise decisions for themselves. In order to make wise decisions on their own someday, I must start by allowing them the room today to make their own decisions, and make mistakes, while they still have the safety of us to fall back on. God, I pray that my overprotectiveness does not ever impede on your plan for my children, I pray that you give me the strength to trust in you with their future, because you are a much greater planmaker than I ever could be.