The Father is always standing there…

On the 7th of April, we welcomed our Baby Zara to the (real not womb) world. Indeed it was a day of remembering God’s awesomeness – how a human being can come out of another human being is just mind blowing. That birth story is for another day.

Anyways, at some point, we started noticing that she wouldn’t fall asleep except someone was carrying her. In the words of the Yoruba people, “owo ti fe mo lara”. That was not acceptable and it needed to be fixed.

An opportunity presented itself one day around 4am. She had just finished eating so food was not the issue neither was poop the issue. She was good to go to dreamland but was still cranky and crying. So the father stepped on the scene. I put her in her cot with a soother in her mouth and just stood by; told every other person to go to bed (because they wouldn’t be able to bear the crying).

She would cry and cry and I will just stand back until the soother falls off and I step forward to offer it to her again. Sometimes, she would take it and suck on it; other times, she would refuse and cry. At some point, she was wailing non-stop. I tried to stand my ground but hearing her cry was just hurting so I asked God, “How much longer? How do I know when to give up and just carry her?” I knew what I was doing was for everyone’s good so I prayed to God for strength and grace.

Long story short: I stood by her side for about an hour without carrying her till she slept off (there was a time I touched her when the crying was too much).

It paid off…

It taught me a lesson that day: the same way I never left my daughter’s side through it is the same way God never leaves our side even at those times when we are going through something that is for our own good but seems painful for the moment.

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

P.S: I also learnt (by experience) another thing that day: the child that says his mother (or father) will not sleep, he/she will also not sleep.