My wife and I have now transitioned from sleeping in the living room with our newborns to sleeping in our own room (yay!) with our infants. Better rest is good, but of course any change comes with a learning and adjustment process for us all. One of the things I’ve learned in the last couple days is that I can either be up and dressed at 6 AM, or else I’ll be preoccupied with domestic activities (happy though they be) for about the next four hours, and find myself still in my pajamas at 10.
This is a blessing especially because it requires me to exercise self-discipline at a time when my physical state makes it particularly challenging. At that time, it’s hard to be content with the amount of rest I’ve been given through the night, but the reward is that I have a few productive pre-dawn hours when I can be ready for the day, while enjoying a sleeping baby on my arm.
It’s rare to have a glimpse of how God blesses us through the little crosses we bear, but I thank Him for that glimpse. Those crosses indeed become precious companions for the Christian, as they serve to discipline the flesh and focus our attention upon the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ.