Well, hello Reality! Nice of you to drop by.

So, today I woke up with a sore throat.  Feeling a little yucky.  If I had an office to go to, I might call in and take it easy.  I'd eat soup, drink hot tea (which I normally never want), watch an old movie, take a nap, just wait to feel better...

Enter: My New Reality.

I'm learning.  Slowly, the obvious is dawning on me.  Parents don't get sick days.  Heck!  Parents are lucky to get vacations.  Most parents are lucky to get a solid night of uninterrupted sleep.  Parents get 8pm-10pm.  That's about it.  And if you're ambitious, you can have 5am to 6:30am.

So I'm facing this reality.  Parents are on.  All the time.  For the next 18-25ish years, I am always on-call.  I'm a parent.

Don't get me wrong.  This is not grumbling.  It's more a matter of acceptance.  Of my new reality.  I'm a parent.  And though I will miss things like sleep and forming a complete thought for the next X # of years, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Parents get the beauty of watching another person grow up before your very eyes!  --A living picture of 100% dependence and (in my opinion sometimes unwarranted) affection from this little one who looks to you for protection, food, love, play time, explanations, correction, discipline, reassurance, hope and laughter -- his very life is in the hands of his parents.  And that is at once scary and a precious privilege. 

And I'm thankful.

Because it makes me to look to my heavenly Father -- my perfect Parent -- who chose to become a parent and be forever "on-call" and make a much greater sacrifice for the sake of His children.  And He is perfect in His provisions of everything I need...like protection (Luke 21:18), food (Matt.7:8-10), love and affection (Eph.2:10), explanations (Jer. 31:33), correction and discipline (Heb. 12:6-8), hope (Romans 15:13), and laughter (Luke 6:21, Prov. 31:25) -- my very life is in His hands (Heb.1:3).

O praise Him.  I am weak.  He is strong.  He never needs a more sleep or a sick day (Psalm 121).