Olympic Parents

I know I’m preaching to the choir when I say that parenting is about as close to an Olympic sport as us non-professional athletes get. Think about it…. Parenting takes unwavering commitment, months of preparation, years of practice, lots of sweat and tears and involves a reward that may or may not come immediately. You don’t have to explain these Olympic events to a seasoned parent. Sprinting: What we do every morning to get everyone ready to leave the house and be at school and work on time. Gymnastics: Trying to cook dinner, keep a fussy baby happy, get the two year old out of the locked bathroom and be in something other than your pajamas when your husband comes through the door asking, “How was your day?” Synchronized Swimming: The delicate dance of getting ready for church on Sunday so that all of us arrive dressed, fed, using our inside voice, before the offering is taken. Balance Beam: Figuring out just how important soccer teams, dance routines, riding lessons, Boy Scouts, and Taekwondo are to the big picture of life. Hurdles: Those inevitable obstacles in life that keep us from eating lunch, getting to bed, paying our bills, reading our devotions and having a home cooked meal on the table. Freestyle: What our teenager wants to do to drive us crazy. Tug of War: What happens when tempers get short, kids get hungry and Moms are out of patience. Marathon: Every day of a parent’s life as we hit the walls of discouragement, fatigue, dirty diapers, sticky floors and endless laundry. But despite all of these herculean efforts, few of us would want to quit the team. Most days we love it, and for the days that aren’t so great, well…, we know that’s just part of the game and get through it.. However, unlike an Olympian, us parents have an even greater prize waiting for us because God has called us to a holy race with eternal beings at stake. And when we pour our lives into these precious souls, God invites us up to the platform and, as He places the medal around our necks, He whispers in our ears, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Hang in there Moms and Dads. You’re all champions. Here’s to long days, short nights and gold medal love, Love,Darcy