Learning from the Couch
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 11:06 PM
Being a mother is a busy, busy job.
My husband and I try to build a certain amount of slow, quiet time into our lives. (My theory is that God must think this is important, or he wouldn’t have designed children to need more sleep than adults!) As long as our routine is plugging along, I get enough slowing-down to keep myself from being frazzled and out of control.
But still: busy, busy, busy. Except sometimes that suddenly becomes impossible.
With a newborn, for instance. I’ve spent many quiet evening hours rocking and feeding a baby while my husband juggled the rest of the household tasks - and the more children we have, the more juggling he’ll have to do. On occasion I have felt guilty during those hours, knowing how many other things must get done, but the baby needs me. I have to answer the baby.
And it’s funny - “must get done” is a tricky concept, isn’t it? I’m quick to put tasks into that category, and whenever I’m forced to slow down, I wonder if God is sending me the message that it’s time to step back and reexamine “must get done.”
This time it’s not a baby holding me up, except indirectly: a threat of preterm labor in my pregnancy has caused my doctors to put me on restricted activity. I’m not on full bed rest, but am supposed to lie down whenever I have contractions. And since I have them whenever I’m not lying down, this means I spend a lot of time on the couch.
It’s hard not to think about all the things going undone while I lie there, but I know how important it is to follow directions. And all the forced rest has given me time to think about what “must get done” really means.
Bed rest is humbling, but hey - that’s probably why it’s happened to me.
(In case you’re wondering, please rest assured: I am on restricted activity as a precaution, but we are not in *high alert* mode. The babies and I are currently doing very well. If you’re interested in more details, I’ve been and will be posting more medical-type stuff at my personal blog.)
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