I get to regularly comfort and console people who freak out on my behalf.
...the folks who practically faint when they hear I have five BOYS and would go back for round 6.
Then, there are the ever-sweet people who pronounce me a saint, a mother who has a "special" crown waiting for me in heaven, as consolation for such a tough but honorable mission in motherhood.
I have a couple of thoughts about that.
It's not that I don't appreciate the empathy for the work in raising boys. I do. And, yes, it's a lot of work.
It's not that there haven't been sacrifices that we've made in order to raise a large family. There have.
It's not that different dynamics don't exist in a family like ours that may not be present in a family of boys and girls. There are.
But, here's what I always come back to whenever someone is tempted to elevate my family or my circumstances in motherhood:
Each person is called to the exact portion that the Lord has seen fit to give him/her. Each person's portion has equal potential to sanctify, stretch, and ultimately bring glory to God.
God's desire is for his children to worship Him, to proclaim Him, to fall completely upon His mercy and find Him sufficient for EVERYTHING. He draws us to this purpose, sometimes through singleness, sometimes through inability to have children, sometimes through loss of children, sometimes through adoption, sometimes through a small family, sometimes through a large one.
So, don't be tempted to think that someone is a mightier mom or a Christian superstar on account of their blessings, their trials, or their circumstances. Your seemingly uneventful life may victoriously proclaim God's greatness just as another's seemingly intense set of circumstances can do the same. Your portion may be hard, your portion may be challenging, or your portion may be exactly what you hoped for, but regardless, your portion is God's goodness at work in your life...His portion for you has a purpose.
I'm embracing my portion, and I'm simply handing over my messy pile of inabilities and worthlessness to the One who is all worthy and all able. He's making me into a more joyful worshiper day by day, through the portion He gives me from His hand. I'm praying you will receive what He has for you and what He's doing through you this day. It's all for our good.