With the recent arrival of our daughter, Alaya, we are all are adjusting to life as a family of six.
It’s a bit of a balancing act!
It’s fun to flashback and think about how our family has grown and changed over the years. I was a bit scared when I first got pregnant at age 25. Adam and I were hoping to wait until I was 27 or 28. We said, “OK, God, this is your plan and we are going to try and roll with it”.
It took me a little while to warm up to the whole idea of being a mom. However, once I held my baby in my arms, I knew that this was the most amazing, beautiful thing that I’ve ever done.
I’ve traveled the world, rocked it in the professional surf industry, made major Hollywood movies about myself and my story and done so many other awesome things. Welcoming my own baby into the world and becoming a mom was by far the best (and honestly scariest and hardest too)!
Now, fast-forward and I’m a mom of four – three boys and a girl – and when I held each one of my children in my arms for the first time, I felt the same way! The joy and awe never gets old.
Each child holds their own element of uncertainty as we learn who they are and how to parent them, but each is also such a gift from God!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”
James 1:17
This joy and thankfulness to God carries me through the typical hard times and exhaustion that come with being a parent.
No family has it all together at every moment and my family is no different. A bigger family means balancing more relationships. Sometimes that can be difficult because we are all human. We have to get used to our differences and work with each other’s imperfections. Not only that, but balancing work and family life also gets more complicated as my family requires more of my time as it grows.
However, even the little difficult moments are a blessing because through it all Adam and I have the most amazing opportunity to lead, guide and love our children.
I encourage you, parents, to step back and see the big picture today.
See the beauty of the gift that God has given you, even in the imperfect moments. Perhaps you’re overwhelmed with all that your family requires of you, are super sleep deprived because of your newborn, or are unsure how to navigate your parental role as your kids get older. Yes, being a parent can be a wild ride sometimes, but don’t let these seasons prevent you from enjoying one of the greatest responsibilities that God has given you – to love your children and to raise them in their faith in Jesus.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
3 John 4:4
