Burdens Made Light

Yesterday was a trying day. Being a mom is hard and exhausting.

Naptime/quiet time ended up with orange crayon all over the wall and crib.

Really, the hardest thing right now is lack of sleep. The crayon incident wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been in such a desperate need for a nap, that I put my toddler in his crib with his coloring book and orange crayon. I should have seen it coming, but he's always been good to color in his books and not on other things.

I was feeling frustrated that my prayers for P2 to sleep better at night have not been answered in the way that I want. I was feeling like if I prayed for her to sleep better, she would do worse. And while I was feeling frustrated, the impression came that maybe my prayers shouldn't be focused on changing other people, but on changing myself. God gave mankind agency, and He can only do so much without infringing on that agency. So maybe a more beneficial prayer is to pray for the ability to function on whatever amount of sleep my children let me have.

"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

Mosiah 24:15 

I have felt the Lord's enabling power in my life, and while He doesn't always take our burdens away, He will strengthen us to be able to bear them if we turn to Him.