Prayers for tired moms and dads
I miss who I was
When nobody has said your name all day.
But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."
Isaiah 43:1-3a, NIV
God, I miss who I was before all this. I am Mom all day, or Dad, and I cannot remember the last time anyone said my name. You have not forgotten it. You made me, You called me by name, and You said I am Yours, before any of these small people arrived. Let me find myself again in that, a little, today. Amen.
You still call me by name
The other moments
- The 3 a.m. feed The feed, the rock, the walk down the hall, again.
- The tantrum in the parking lot And the temper after, and the guilt after that.
- Nobody saw what you did today The forty things before nine, and no one to tell.
- The Sunday you did not go The nursery, the crying, the nap, and then it was three months.
- When your child is sick The waiting room, the fever that will not break.
- The only one in the house who prays When faith is yours alone at the table.
- When you cannot remember the last time you prayed So this is it. It counts.
- The driveway Two minutes with the engine off, before the noise.
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.