As I stated in my last blog post, I attend a moms' group at my church Wednesday mornings. Thank the Good Lord for this group, or I'd never have found THE most helpful and insightful book I have ever read. "Unsuper Mommy" by Maggie Combs has entirely changed my outlook on the downfalls of motherhood. I strongly suggest it as a shower gift or a gift to a mom who could just use a little help (*hint, hint* that's all of us). This is a Christian book, that I highly, highly recommend. So let's talk about chapter 2, Releasing Expectation's for Baby's Sleep.
If you, as a mother, haven’t had a change in your sleep schedule since bringing home your baby well good for you because you’re one of the few. For most of us, however, we become zombie-like creatures running on fumes. Not every baby is sleepless, and not every night is sleepless.. but oh, there will be nights where tears roll down your cheeks as you plead for your little bundle of joy to sleep for a few hours straight. There will be nights you look at your husband sound asleep next to you after you’ve gotten up 3, 4, 5 times a night and begin to contemplate smothering him with his pillow. I mean really, how can you sleep through this?! He wakes up in the morning and asks, “did he sleep through the night? I never heard him.” And steam almost literally bellows from your ears. Sometimes even getting angry at your sweet baby and begging them to let you get some sleep, then crying harder because you feel guilty is totally normal. It’s hard. It is really, honestly, one of the hardest parts about motherhood.
I remember being pregnant and people always telling me to “sleep while I can” and I wished I had listened. Granted, I feel blessed in a sense that God gifted me with a baby who did only wake once a night until he was 4 months old. Maybe we’re going through a sleep regression, or maybe this is his new thing.. but I promise you that’s not the case anymore. Now he’s one of those normal babies that wakes every 3 to 4 hours. I had nights I cried, I begged God, I begged my son, I begged my husband to just PLEASE let me sleep!! I needed it. I couldn’t be a good mom or wife without that sleep. There’s just no way I could do laundry, clean the kitchen, work on my 6 college classes, take care of a baby, and cook dinner for my husband on a few solid hours of sleep. Or could I? This is where I wish every single mom had this book handy.
We have every reason to wallow in our exhaustion, right? Wrong. Take that word, exhaustion, and release it to God. I can’t tell you how many times a day I told myself, my husband, my friends and family, that I was just so exhausted. That word became an obsession. Sleep became an idol. God sees your need, and he will fulfill it. God’s mercies are new every single day. Interestingly, this book gained some perspective for me on just HOW great God is. We need sleep, but He does not. The book says, sleep isn’t important because we need it, it’s important because He doesn’t. If you miss the purpose of sleep as a reason to be humbled before God, you are missing the point He wired us this way entirely. Our lack of sleep is a reminder that we need God to sustain us. Your struggle isn’t being overlooked by God, He is still going to flow His power through you. Here is an excerpt from the book that I loved:
“God tells you to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make straight your paths (Poverbs 3:5-6) Human understanding says if you get enough sleep, you can be a good mom. Trust says that God knows your needs and your baby’s needs, and He will shepherd you through your sleepless fog. God’s plan probably isn’t leading you to the Mommy Hall of Fame, but you don’t really need that. His path will always lead you precisely to the one thing you can’t live without: more of him. Give up your exhaustion to El Shaddai, the God who sustains you. He knows your needs. He sees your physical and mental exhaustion. Will you believe?”
Matthew 11:28 says, “come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rest, not sleep. What is the difference? Rest or peace is something only God can provide us with. When you trust in the promises of God, He will give you rest. If you’re like me, each time you wake up you count the number of times and the hours you have left until you know your baby will be up for the day. You meticulously watch the clock in hopes that you can get a certain amount of sleep. And trust me, there is never enough time to give you the sleep you feel you need. Sleep is good, but peace is better. As advised by the book, I have begun to pray every night before bed asking God to multiply my hours of sleep into the rest that He knows I need. This prayer has helped me feel a hundred times better at each dawning of a new day. I feel God’s peace and power flowing through my veins. I feel more eager to read my devotional, clean out that closet, and sing songs to Elijah. He knows exactly what I need, and by placing my trust in his sovereignty, He has shown He keeps His promises. Every time Eli wakes up, I tell God how thankful I am for reminding me how great a God I have to never need sleep. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel with this rest He is providing me. You can only find out by asking for Him for yourself.
Mishaps and Miracles of a Milky Mama 