You can find the rest of my thoughts on Mitten Strings chapters here.—————————————-
Surrender. I think as mothers, we first learn this in labor. Maybe you’ve written out a clearly defined birth plan: soft music in the background, possibly an epidural (which of course you’ll decide if and when you want it), and immediate nursing after birth. You are steadfast in your choices. But then labor comes, quick and in a hurry. Maybe it’s so fast and furious, there’s just no time for that calming music, no time for the epidural. Maybe the baby’s heartbeat decreases at an alarming rate and before you know it, you’re up in the OR in the middle of an emergency C-section.
It’s at that moment that you learn surrender. You learn that the health of that baby is so much more important than any plan you could create. You learn what it means to let go and let God.
“Sometimes our children’s needs do not coincide neatly with our own beliefs. And therein lies a challenge. Do I try to control every aspect of our family environment, or do I allow others to help shape it too? Do I always enforce the rules, or do I sometimes step aside and trust my children to find their own way? Surrendering is always an act of faith, and letting go is never easy.” – page 88
How are you learning surrender in your vocation as a mother?
