Nothing prepared me for potty training. Not the advice I received from experienced Moms and not the marriage counselling we got as a doe-eyed young couple too excited about our wedding we barely heard what the counselor was saying. Seriously, I think marriage counselling is better suited after the honeymoon. That is when couples really need the help becoming one. Not while juggling the 1,000 things that go along with planning a wedding and moving into a new life with your spouse. But I digress.
First of all, no one told me I would be wiping this adorable butt for the next four or five years. I mean, come on! A little heads up would have been nice. You know what I’m talking about, right!? Just when you’ve settled down to finally have that coffee you’ve already re-heated for the fourth time, or just as you snuggle comfortably on your favorite couch, feet up and all, ready to dig into a yummy bowl of popcorn, you hear a screech from the bathroom; “Mummy!!!!!! I’m all done pooping!!!! May you please come wipe my butt”???? Well, at least they are polite. I’ll give them that. And it was cute the first 200 times.
There goes my moment. I don’t even want the popcorn now after butt wiping. It will take a few minutes to get back into that relaxed mindset so for now I’ll go fold the laundry or sweep the floors or something.
Then there is the nighttime pull up diaper. Such a wonderful invention, in my opinion. But you can only prolong the inevitable nighttime toilet training for so long. You are raising the children to be independent, responsible, respectable members of society after all. There are things that must be taught. But I didn’t expect the lessons to require such hands-on involvement on my part as the teacher. Waking the child up in the night to go pee so they won’t pee on the bed. Un-ending loads of laundry because the child still peed on the bed even after you set an alarm and interrupted your sleep so you could take your little trainee to the bathroom.
I rack my mind for a verse to encourage myself with and anchor on during this time and Hebrews.11:12 immediately comes to mind:
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”
Wow! This verse is 100% on the mark! This season will not last forever. It will come to an end. And not just end but end with good results. The desired outcome will be achieved so don’t give up. I was feeling overwhelmed and that “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” gave me just the stern encouragement that I needed.
Once we power through those weeks of toilet training, we have peace of mind knowing our children can use the bathroom on their own. And what a relief to delete pull-up diapers from our monthly shopping list.
The beauty of the Word of God is that one Scripture has the ability to speak to more than just one situation in our lives.
Do you see the Lord building the virtue of discipline in your life? He does this not to be a task master or make your life difficult but to bless you and cause you to reap a bountiful harvest of righteousness and peace in all that concerns you. Your finances, your health, your walk with Jesus, your vocation, your relationships, your parenting and more. All aspects of your life will benefit as you choose to exercise discipline.
I’ll be the first to admit that on most days, it’s not fun dragging myself out of bed earlier than everyone one else so I can have uninterrupted peace and quiet as I read my Bible and pray. However, the benefits I receive from spending time with Jesus are so numerous that they make getting up a little earlier a small price to pay. It is still a sacrifice however, but it is definitely one worth making for the sake of my spiritual growth and honestly, for my sanity as well. I’m the best version of me when I start my day in God’s Word.
Then there is the discipline of consistent exercise. It is not pleasant but painful at the time. I drag my feet and try to make excuses like it’s too cold to go outside for a walk or I don’t have comfy workout clothes. Later on, however, as I enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle like strength and energy which we all need in spades as Moms, It is so worth the sweat and occasional tears! An added bonus is being able to fit into that pair of jeans again. The one that had become too snug around the waist.
When we chose to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we chose a life of discipline. This is not a bad thing. It is not something to put a damper on your mood or something to be approached with dreaded. Exercising discipline in our lives provides an avenue for God to pour upon us His blessings and favor because as we have seen in Hebrews.11:12, though discipline may be painful for some time, it yields a harvest of peace and righteousness.
So, strengthen your arms when they become feeble and strengthen your knees when they become weak. You got this Mama! You are not alone. God is with you to guide and to help every step of the way. Let’s get to training!
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Read more of Rachel’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
