“Zoë, Chloë, come here.” This phrase is often heard in our home when Fredricc and I are trying to get the attention of either our newly-minted seven-year-old or our soon-to-be three-year-old. While most days I can’t tell you if I am coming or going, I am so grateful to be their mother. You see, both of our girls have a birth narrative that almost resulted in their lives being concluded before they even began. So, when I look at them or tell them to “come here,” I am reminded of the prayers I prayed while in college to become a mother. When I hear them laughing, yelling at each other, screaming or playing with each other, I am reminded of the talks Fredricc and I had about being parents one day early in our marriage.
On the days when I am ready to throw in the towel, God uses my girls to give me a hug, climb in my lap and remind me that “I am the best mommy ever!” And while there are some challenging days, I can say without a doubt that these little girls are saving my life. Their love for God, for one another, for their dad and for others is a beautiful reminder of God’s grace in human form. Their long- and short-term memories about the flowers they picked on the walk we went on last week, or the unkept promise to get ice cream after work, to the endless interrogation about “what’s for dinner,” is a beautiful reminder that what I prayed for many years ago, is right here in front of me.
So now, when I tell the girls to “come here,” I know that even if I am wrong in whose name I called, it is the confidence that I prayed to God for this moment and God’s will is made manifest in that I can call out “Zoë, Chloë, come here.”
Pray, Practice, Ponder
As you go throughout your day, ask yourself the question, “God, what are you calling me to hear, feel, taste, see, explore or remember as a reminder that God hears me?” In your time of reflection, may you be reminded of God’s answer to your prayers being made manifest right before your eyes.
Pray. . .Give. . .Go.
