Life Story - Danielle Murphy
The first time I became a mom was a scary moment for me. My husband and I had aborted our first baby back in college and the thought that the good Lord had even enabled me to conceive again really spoke volumes to me of how great and rich in mercy and forgiveness our God is. We are getting ready to receive our eighth baby from the hand of the Lord and I must say that being a mother only gets better for me!
My first time being a mom I kept myself too busy and didn’t really take the time to snuggle and really soak in my little one. I was still very selfish in a lot of ways and very naive. I took time and life for granted. Now, I slow down a lot more, listen to what’s on my children’s hearts, laugh at their little jokes and take more time to snuggle and hug each one. I am very aware at just how quickly the time goes by when raising children and I long to nurture each moment I have with them.
My oldest daughter and I share a very special bond. We often talk deeply about many things but especially the Lord. I am so grateful for that, especially knowing that when she was little, I didn’t take as much time with her as I think now that I should have. God is so good to grow us up while our kids are still young, to remind us of the things which are most important.
I also didn’t struggle as much as a first-time mom as I see other ladies struggle. I watched and listened very closely to moms around me before becoming a mother on my own. I observed many mothers who had children that were very naughty and unruly. I also observed the ones whose children blessed and refreshed them. I was given some wonderful resources before becoming a mom on how to train my child up in righteousness. My first two children never went through any kind of “terrible twos”. Later on I did end up experiencing some of that due to my own neglect in training them.
I also watched other mothers struggle with keeping up their houses and vowed to myself never to allow my household chores to get behind. These mothers were tired and overwhelmed with just one baby, crying and pleading for their husband to help them clean up the house after coming home from a long day’s work themselves. I can honestly say that though we have much work in our home, we never let ourselves get behind and all of us pitch in to keep up on the day to day chores. This is wisdom and ultimately freedom. I thank God for giving me eyes and ears to observe those around me before becoming a mother myself so that I could struggle less and enjoy motherhood more freely.