We all have different limits. Some people can simply endure more than others. Nature trumps nurture unless we engage our wills.
The Baby Lady is rarely sick. Or, at least, she rarely seems sick. Yesterday, she played and laughed and sang all day long despite a fever the night before, a runny nose, and a slight cough. At bedtime, though, she threw up and complained of ear pain. I put her in the bath and she was doing stand-up comedy while she played with the soap. Then she chattered away next to me in the guest room bed until both of us finally slept. She is an enthusiastic patient.
Whatever discomfort she is experiencing is secondary to how she behaves. She is tough and determined to have a good time. I wish I could claim some sort of maternal gifting that creates this in children, but if you have ever been around when Boy 1 or Boy 2 were sick, you know that isn’t the case.
Everyone has a default setting. The better we understand our own, the easier life’s little hiccups are to handle. The better we understand the people we love, the easier it is to love them when they face mountains that seem unclimbable.
My default setting is somewhere in the vicinity of self-pity covered in a nice layer of utter despair. But, it has been a while since I have wallowed in that place. I know that is my tendency, so when the dark clouds roll in, I shoo them away with a good dose of encouragement. The mighty, one-true God can be trusted in every situation and I have to put that thought in front of me until the storm passes.
I used to wish I was more like my sweet little girl. I have envied grit and resiliency in other people many times. As the years pass, though, I can see my sensitive nature has been useful, even vital, on my road with God. He chose who He wanted me to be, and I chose to embrace it- weak as I may be.
Realizing my own weakness and Christ’s ability to use it for His glory is the best gift God has ever given to me. CS Lewis wrote:
“In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison-you do not know God at all. “
Today, I hover over my brave soldier-girl, looking for unspoken signs of health or sickness. She tells me she feels fine, but who knows with this little one. She will probably always want to take on a little more than is good for her, and when she does she will learn Who can save her from herself. There are deep and meaningful blessings in her weaknesses and strengths. God will use them to draw her to Him.
Finley Joy means Fair Warrior of Joy. When I was pregnant with her, God told me as I prayed one day that she would be secure and she would fight for fairness and for the underdog. So, we named her based on that, and God’s definition has proven true. Isn’t it amazing how God knows us before our first breath? He wants us to know Him for who He is so we can know who He has made us to be: His very own beloved.
“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10