It doesn’t offend me at all when people see me with my kids in tow and say, “Wow! You have your hands full!”

Because, y’all.  My hands are full!

I have four blessings ages 6, 4.5, 3, and 1.  YES.  My hands are VERY full, and, if you don’t mind, could you please grab that door for me and stop my son from running outside while I balance the baby on my hip and let him chew on my hair? K, thanks.

But to my friends who don’t have four kids yet (muah-hah) and who sometimes imply that I’m some kind of super human being powered by strong coffee, I feel it necessary to say the following.

Since my first child was born, my hands have always been full.  My oldest was quite the handful, actually.  She was crawling (and disobediently eating cat food) at six months.  She was walking (and by walking, I mean running) at nine months.  Because of this, she ran hard all day long and crashed hard at night.  (The she in that sentence refers to her very tired mother.)

Sweet blessing #2 came along when my oldest was eighteen months (and still a baby in so many ways).  That season, though happy, is kind of a blur.  I have a very distinct memory of that time with two babies under two, and it involves me crying in the fetal position on the floor of the dining room waiting for my husband to come home while my oldest lovingly placed stickers on her baby sister.

Then, I blinked and I had three babies ages three and under.  Suddenly I didn’t have enough hands!  My hands were very full as I clutched a toddler in each hand and carried the baby around by the scruff of his neck mother-tiger-style.  I kid.  But in that particular season, my husband and I felt out-gunned, out-manned, out-numbered, and out-planned (Hamilton, anyone?).

Last fall we welcomed baby #4, and if he had come one week earlier, our oldest would have still been four years old.  Insanity.  Of course our hands were full, but in that season I really started to grow in my confidence as a mom.  I mean, if I was going to feel overwhelmed and outnumbered, I may as well feel it at the pumpkin patch with all our friends, right?

My point is this.  In all of these seasons, God sustained us.  We were (scratch that… ARE) so busy parenting these gifts from God.

You might think that your hands are totally full right now, and you’re right.  Whether you have one or many, God is stretching you, sanctifying you, and challenging you in specific ways you wouldn’t be if you weren’t a parent.

Parenting is hard work.  Rewarding, and obviously worth it, but hard.  Press into God. Cling to Him.

And the next time someone sees you in Target and tells you that you “sure have your hands full,” just smile, and say, “Yes I do. Full of blessings. Thanks for noticing!”