I had started writing an entirely different post. I had a cute story and lesson that I was about to share. Hearing the text message chime, I paused the writing. My husband was out and I needed to see if it was him. The message turned out to be from a dear friend. Choosing not to hold back, my friend sent me a quick message though the hour was late.
We had a brief chat, where she testified of what God is doing in her life and how He is providing. She’s learning new things at this stage of life and is working to find a healthy balance. One of those new elements is that she’s a new mom.
‘I don’t know how you do it with 4!’ she respectfully exclaimed.
Usually when I hear this comment, I tend to hold back. Not wanting to overwhelm a new parent with the brutal honesty of parenting—and four times over!– I do the ‘smile & nod’ routine, giving some pat reply. Those scripted replies can be void of most true feelings.
But not today. With the prompt of ‘hold’ sitting at the front of my mind, I let go.
I openly encouraged this new mom who is alongside me in the trenches of parenthood. I told her that my kids came one at a time and that I gained my experience one moment at a time. There are days when the devil messes with your head, making you question your very existence and wonder if you’re just wasting your life away.
But the rest of the time? We can hear God’s voice and see His almighty hand as He reassures us that we’re doing our best with the precious gift He’s entrusted to us.
Had I held back tonight, I would have missed offering my friend some needed support and encouragement. And I would have missed out on sharing about God and what He’s doing in my life.
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