If I say no, you say yes. 

If I turn the water off, you insist it be turned back on. 

If I say whisper, you somehow just get louder. 

If I say it’s bedtime, you say, “I need a snack, Mama.” 

If I read you three bedtime stories, you always say, “Let’s read one more.” 

You’re not my first, and I know—this is two.

But in the midst of these moments—the hard, trying, sometimes exhausting moments—I frequently catch myself feeling like what I do is not enough. No matter which way I turn, you insist we go the other way. 

But then . . . in God’s miraculous way of giving us a strength far beyond our own, I am reminded of these moments. 

When I say I love you, you say, “I love you more!” 

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When I say give me a hug, you say, “Hug me again, Mama.” 

When I hear your feet trampling across the house, running as fast as you can in the middle of the night, you climb on the bed and say, “I need you, Mama.”  

When my heart needs a big dose of laughter, you know just the right time to say, “Mama, watch this trick!” 

These moments, they are a sacred place between you and me. The good, the bad, and the downright hard.

They are important.

They are reminders of my inability to depend on myself but to wholeheartedly depend on the One who entrusted me with you. 

So today, I thank you for both the trying and the rewarding. You are my daily reminder to yield grace upon grace upon grace and that this Kingdom work matters.

Originally posted on the author’s Facebook page