I knew the day would come when I would be on restricted activity with this pregnancy. My doctor calls it modified bed rest, which basically means that I’m living like a bum for the next few months. I can drive, go to church, go to appointments, make my own meals, etc.; but I’m not supposed to hit the mall, grocery shop, spring clean my house, do yard work and the like. The time is now upon me. It is day two of my bed rest, and I find I have a lot of time to think.
In preparation for this confinement of sorts, I saved my stacks of books on multiple pregnancies, early child care, and parenting philosophy to read until now. I wanted to get all the physical preparation done for my little babies’ arrival before hand, so I could focus this time on preparing mentally for how we will parent them. But let’s face it. Is anyone ever really prepared to be a parent? From all the feedback I’ve been getting, I think it’s pretty safe to say the answer is no.
Last week in church, the guest speaker quoted a verse that completely refreshed my thinking on this subject. Proverbs 16:1 “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.” Of course, his sermon was focused on the tongue, not child-rearing, but I guess my head is in a different place, and this verse really stood out to me in a different application.
The truth is that I could read all the parenting books in the world, but if my heart is not properly prepared, I will never have true parental wisdom. That preparation comes from the LORD. My earnest prayer is that the LORD will prepare my heart with wisdom that is from Him and not of myself. It seems like a no-brainer, but I realized that if I am gain that wisdom then I must use the time I have wisely. I must put my Bible reading and personal worship time as my highest priority. Of course, it should always be the highest priority, but let’s get real. Life happens, work happens, obligations crowd in, and we tend to go through the motions of our personal worship time out of duty or routine… or we skip it altogether because life is just too busy. How many times have I sighed, “If only I had more time. . .” Well, now is my chance to put my money where my mouth is. For the next few months, I have more time than I’ll know what to do with it. What I do with it will make all the difference in whether my heart is prepared.
Oh, Lord, the nursery can wait, prepare my heart first.
Ruth's Reverie and Other Ramblings 
Very wise words, Ruth. I am so excited for you! I wish I were closer so that I could come keep you company some tiring afternoon. I’d bring something yummy to eat & you could tell me all that you are learning from your books 🙂
I have you on my prayer list; thanks for keeping us updated on what is going on!
I also spent most of my pregnancy on the couch reading books. Not because of enforced rest, but because I was too sick to think of doing much. Though nothing quite prepared me for these past 4 months (let’s not even think about beyond that yet), I have found that having a general bank of information to draw from has been extremely valuable. That and calling Jenny Muth every couple weeks to ask all my nagging questions.