Parenting is a beautiful and awe-inspiring experience.  It’s been an incredible boost to my spirituality to better understand God’s love for me as that of a parent for a child.  And because God allows us to be involved in His creation by way of this unique opportunity, I think I’ve also started to see a smidgen of why He has crafted some things as they are.

My first glimpse came during pregnancy.  I learned that the nine (or ten, depending on how you’re counting) months of pregnancy are as much for the parents’ mental, emotional, and spiritual preparation as they are for the baby’s physical development.  Boy, oh boy, did I need those months to get ready!  But that’s another story for another day.

Now that Jacob is out of the newborn stage, he generally falls asleep between seven and eight p.m., as is appropriate for children his age.  Again, I see that the timing is not simply for the child’s well being.  When this happens in our household, it is sometimes the greatest grace of the day.  Yes, the baby needs his sleep, but the mommy sometimes needs a break, too!

These little revelations make the day extra exciting when they happen, and they are especially welcome in the more trying, sleep-deprived moments (like today).  However, this is not to say that becoming a parent means one sees clearly into all of God’s plans.

Apart from the chance to increase in the virtue of patience, I still don’t see why babies must wake up so darn early, no matter how much past bedtime they fell asleep or how often they woke during the night.  Six a.m.?  Really?  Why?  Why six a.m.?

Some things, it seems, will always remain mysteries.