Looking forward
Friday, Apr 14, 2006
I try not to have a myopic view of life, but sometimes I fail on that account. I remember on my wedding day that I went to the store on an errand. I recall thinking that it was odd that everyone was going about their business as usual. I mean, didn’t everyone realize that this was a special day? Twenty-year-old brides are probably some of the most self-absorbed people on the planet. Well, at least this one was.
Moms with a new baby might run a close third. (In case you’re wondering, two-year-olds take the second place prize.) As a member of the postpartum mom club again, the clue to why I might be a little myopic in my perspective is that in our nightly family prayers, the top prayer uttered every night from my lips goes like this, “And Lord, please help the baby to sleep longer tonight. Please.” It is customary for me to pray for wisdom, to pray for our children to love and obey Jesus, and to ask for forgiveness for the many sins I’d committed earlier that day. However, the way I see it now, I’d probably sin less if I got a few more hours sleep.
I had the privilege to play for a funeral yesterday. This was the second one I’d played for this year already, and this time, it was for the unexpected death of a man the same age as my husband. As with most people, I ponder my mortality at these events. What am I doing with my life? What am I leaving behind? Will they say that I was faithful? Will God call me faithful? How much time do I have left?
In light of the life-and-death significance of a funeral, does God care about sleeping babies? Of course He does. We ought to bring all things to Him. When we bring the dailyness of our lives before Him, we acknowledge His sovereignty over all things. The danger, of course, is forgetting that His Kingdom is big. When we bring the small details of our lives to Him, we ought to remember, too, that His kingdom extends beyond our four walls to the four corners of the earth. It is not only about the moment, but also about His Church that began with Adam and Eve and extends to future generations.
So, tonight when we pray again together, I will remember to pray that my new son will love, serve, and fear the Lord as His older siblings do—and that it will be the same for their children and their children’s children. Of course, I still will pray for him to give his mother a little rest… and I won’t say aloud which one I think would be the greater miracle. A little sleep ought to clear up the dilemma.
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So true . . . everything you say here.
And I feel your pain because, although I do not have a newborn, I do have a 3-year old who had a stomach virus lasting four LONG days and nights. Baths at 3:30 a.m. make you pray desperate prayers for sleep.
Comment by Mel (April 14, 2006 @ 2:55 pm )
Amy,
I’ve been praying for you today. I am sorry you are so exhausted. I’m praying that God multiplies the hours of sleep that you do get! From a mommy who’s been sleep-deprived before, take anyone up on ANY help they offer, small or big. And ask for help, too!
Tonight at our Good Friday service we sang these words:
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow…
So, may God give you strength for each day and bright hope for tomorrow!
~Stacy
Comment by reforming mama (April 14, 2006 @ 8:58 pm )
This post brought back memories. I sent up a lot of prayers for a good night’s sleep when my children were babies!
Comment by Amy (April 14, 2006 @ 9:29 pm )
“And Lord, please help the baby to sleep longer tonight. Please.” –and this prayer never ceases…tho the baby is now 2!
Enjoyed the post/posts!
alison L.
Comment by alison (April 15, 2006 @ 8:14 am )
I completely understand!! Last night, Bubby went to sleep at 9 pm. I tiptoed to my own bed only to be awoken at 9:30 pm by a screaming infant!! I was livid. I prayed and prayed and even asked God why he wasn’t answering my prayers. (I had a few bad nights in a row with Bubby). Well, God IS there, and after at 1/2 hour nap, Bubby slept for 3 hours before waking, then another 3, then 2 hours!! Woo hoo, praise you God and thank you!! Of course, we’re supposed to praise Him in the bad times, too. But, I really did NEED my prayers answered. I was so upset and over tired, I was afraid I’d be too rough with my sweet infant. (I’ve also nearly fallen down, dizzy with exhaustion while pacing the floors with him) I told God I couldn’t do it on my own, that I needed Him. And I do.
Comment by ladyscott (April 15, 2006 @ 8:20 am )
This is why I co sleep. And I am often very well rested lol…..
Comment by Lyn (April 15, 2006 @ 10:47 am )
I agree with the co-sleeping!
Whn people ask if the baby is sleeping thru the night I always think, “Well, *I* sure am!” =)
Comment by Anonymous (April 15, 2006 @ 1:39 pm )
You see, this is why I have diffculty about wanting to have a new born again. It was every two hours day and night for a while. But God brought me (us!) through it without too much harm! Now he sleeps 10-12 hours a night……but I don’t! I am just so thankful that the Lord remembers our feeble frames, that we are but dust and that he understands mummy tiredness.
Comment by Susanna (April 15, 2006 @ 2:13 pm )
Maybe this is why we thought we were done after baby #4. I didn’t get more than 4 hours sleep a night for 10 months. Just to know that God is SO GOOD, 3 1/2 years later when I had #5 he slept thru the night 6 hours at 9-10 weeks old. What a glorious thing that was. As we anxiously await #6 I KNOW that God will sustain me through those long nights…and days! May he grant you enough rest to have the grace to go on, Amy. Bless you!
Comment by Nancy Palmer (April 15, 2006 @ 7:13 pm )
The sleepless nights are balanced by the sweet, sleepy, satisfied newborn smiles; the spontaneous “Mommy, I love you.”, and the quick hug or unexpected kind deed or word to you or a sibling from the older ones. Please don’t let the challenges of mommyhood (or daddyhood) intimdate you. Sacrificing some sleep now for all the blessings they give is worth every exhausted minute you sit up at night desperately…. trying…. to….oops! sorry, I nodded off there. It’s only for a short season, anyway.
Amy, I will be praying for you while I’m up, too. You are a blessing. Thanks.
Comment by Heather (April 15, 2006 @ 9:28 pm )
Read Psalm 127. His Word mentions sleep and the blessings of Children in that Psalm.
Comment by ladyscott (April 16, 2006 @ 5:07 am )
Love your thoughts in paragraph four. God is in the daily and God is the big picture. It is putting it all together and not swerving off too far one way or the other in our viewpoint that is both difficult and crucial. I am with ladyscott in offering Psalm 127. I especially rely on it with my older children and trusting God to complete in them the work He has begun. “For so He gives His beloved sleep.” What a delicious gift!
Comment by Laurie (April 16, 2006 @ 4:42 pm )
I have a friend with twins. When they were about 2 years old, the girl needed to wear leg braces at night and started waking up. After a week or 2 of this, Mom prayed for the girl to sleep through the night. She told me that God had a sense of humor because her girl slept through the night for the first time that night but her boy woke up! (She changed her prayers to include them both after that little lesson.) So, you might want to add the rest of your kids in the prayer just in case. (Better to learn the easy way than the hard way!)
Comment by Elizabeth B (April 16, 2006 @ 8:44 pm )
I’m not really worried about having another newborn and not getting any sleep. I don’t think I’ve had a great night’s sleep since my first was born almost 4 years ago. He was almost 2 before he really slept through the night, and by then I was so used to being up, that I don’t sleep well now anyways!! I’ll be prepared for number 2 this year. Of course, maybe I’ll get lucky and this one will be my sleeper (not holding my breath)
Comment by anonymous (April 17, 2006 @ 6:51 pm )
I’m not really worried about having another newborn and not getting any sleep. I don’t think I’ve had a great night’s sleep since my first was born almost 4 years ago. He was almost 2 before he really slept through the night, and by then I was so used to being up, that I don’t sleep well now anyways!! I’ll be prepared for number 2 this year. Of course, maybe I’ll get lucky and this one will be my sleeper (not holding my breath)
Comment by anonymous (April 17, 2006 @ 6:51 pm )
Amy,
Look out, but the most self-absorbed people on the planet have got to be 13 year old daughters!! You’ve got awhile to go before you have to deal with that one.
I say it with love, though, and enjoy the comedy! One of my friends assures me it gets better around 15–the age at which her own daughter once asked, “Oh, you mean…it’s not all about me?”
Comment by At A Hen's Pace (April 18, 2006 @ 1:22 pm )
I found this website by searching under the heading ‘praying for baby to sleep’ on my mobile(through some miracle of science I will never understand) at 3 am, after getting up to put my baby boy to sleep for the umteenth time. When I read your and some of the other moms comments, I wept, both out of exhaustion and relief. There were other moms out there who new how I felt! I have not had a longer than 2 hour interval of sleep for more than 7 months now, and each night I speak to my Jesus pleading for sleep for baby and me. I get despondent some times but I will stand strong in His word, for He has never let me down. Thank you for your website, it’s given me a place to share my thoughts and to glean hope from others in my predicament.
Comment by Sleepy mommy (July 21, 2006 @ 9:45 pm )
Dear Sleepy Mommy,
I’m glad to be a blessing to you. I have a special place in my heart for sleep deprived moms. I pray that the Lord will send you some relief. Make sure your Baby Cakes has a very full tummy. Sometimes they do better when they begin solids and start chunking up. I love fat babies, don’t you?
Yawn….
Comment by Amy Scott (July 22, 2006 @ 1:55 pm )