Have you ever seen a rope come unraveled? It doesn’t just suddenly break. It takes its time. Section by section, cord by cord, it frays. The whole rope starts to lose its grip as each individual section breaks. Suddenly, catastrophically, the entire thing crumbles because it can’t bear the strain.
People often unravel the same way.
How?
Well, let me begin here...
It's Christmastime! It's the season of all things jolly and cheerful. The lights, trees, goodies, parties, and gifts are all part of the most wonderful time of the year, and I must admit that Christmas is my favorite holiday. Who can resist so much beauty and magic?
Until I became a mom, I never really considered where all of that magic came from. It just shows up with the first snow, right? What a surprise it was for me to realize that parents are the great magic makers in this life! Don't get me wrong, God's mercy and unbelievable gift are the most magical parts of the holiday, but all of the trappings that go with it rest solely on the shoulders of parents. In our home, "parents" most often means "mom," and not just at Christmastime.
Moms bear the majority of the emotional, and oftentimes physical, burden of raising children. It's just who we are. I don't believe that you can carry around something for almost 10 months of your life and not care about what happens to it, especially when you hear it's very heartbeat from inside of you. You feel every kick and hiccup. Then, when that beautiful baby emerges, us moms instantly go to work despite our tired, sore, and often stitched together bodies, and we love that child. Of course we carry the emotional burden of caring for this precious gift! What society, and often our own families, fail to recognize is that that burden of caring never quite goes away for the mom. They may be taller, smellier, and harrier than us, but we moms still see the tiny babies they once were and worry and care for them.
So, how do you unravel a mom? Much like a rope, it happens a little at a time. Women are doing more than ever before. We are working inside and outside of our homes. Many of us have a side hustle, too. We are still doing the lion's share of the housework and child rearing. We are making Christmas magic. We are trying to take off, or keep off, that extra 10 (or 20) pounds. We are trying to maintain friendships. We are trying to be good siblings. We are trying to be good daughters, or daughters-in-law, to aging parents. We are trying to care for our own bodies, which for some of us is quite the job. We are trying to be good wives to our husbands. We are trying to continue our education. We are trying to be good pet moms. We are trying to fix, build, or remodel our own homes.
In short, we are trying to do it all, and be everything to everyone. So, if even one or two of the things on the list become seriously out of whack, us moms find ourselves in serious trouble.
Suddenly, we can't bake cookies for the church party because we have a sick kid. We can't make it to work because the car is broken. We can't check on Grandma because we hurt ourselves at the gym. We can't make dinner because we have become so run down that we are now sick ourselves.
A mom becomes unraveled when several things begin to back up on her. Any mom can handle one sick kid, but what if two of the kids and dad get sick? Any mom can handle doing the dishes, but what if the dishwasher, the toilet, and the car all break on the same day? Any mom can make goodies, but what if she is sick, her oven is broken, and no one has gone to the grocery store? Do you see? Wouldn't it be nice if life handed us one problem at a time so we could deal with it and move on? I don't know about you, but my life, especially lately, has not ever been that cooperative.
Friends, as I write this to you today, I find myself in this situation. I am harried and short tempered. I am surly and tired. I am still sick and overwhelmed. I am unraveled.
My baby is sick. Again. She's been sick constantly, it seems. My husband is not doing well, waiting for a gallbladder surgery while recovering from his flu-like illness and sudden heart issue. One of our toilets is broken. Our garbage disposal needs fixing. We have had our car in the shop many times in the last month. I am still coughing out my lungs. Our Christmas tree just went up, and there is only one present bought to go under it. I have not baked anything. I have not planned anything of consequence. In short, my Christmas season is looking a bit bleak.
Do I write these things to you for your sympathy? Do I think that I am the only one facing such problems? Am I completely blind to all of the blessings surrounding me?
No.
We are blessed.
I am blessed.
I have such wonderful friends to pray for me. They continuously lift me and my family up in prayer and with good thoughts. I could not be more blessed by them.
I might not have it all on Christmas, but I am blessed. The world around me might crumble, but I am blessed. I might lose everything, but I am blessed.
I must admit, the world does have me down. I feel unraveled and like I need a break. You might feel that way, too. I am embarrassed to say that I might have had one or two meltdowns, and there have definitely been tears, but I know that all of this is temporary. Nothing lasts forever. My God is still on His throne. He owes me nothing, and yet He still sent His Son.
That is what Christmas is about. Through it all, He remains. Though I might fail, He never does.
So, this Christmas, no matter what your situation may be, why not let the Savior be with you? Let Him comfort you in your time of need. Let Him hold you as you cry. He has a way of putting the frayed rope back together again. Maybe then, we won't feel so unraveled.
It would be the very best birthday present for someone who deserves everything we have to give.
