motherhood md bronson

 

melissa bronson

M.D. (Melissa) Bronson guest posts today and I can’t wait for you to meet her. She shares her story of living free and climbing out of a discomfort zone many of us we’ll identify with.

We all have those places, right?

I love this story. I really like Melissa. I think you will too. ~ Suzie

 

ย โ€œYour waterโ€™s broke,โ€ my doctor said.

I sat. Already 10 days overdue, youโ€™d think Iโ€™d be running to the hospital. But, I just sat.

โ€œWhatโ€™s the matter?โ€ said my husband.

โ€œIโ€™m afraid,โ€ I said.

โ€œOh, itโ€™ll be fine,โ€ said my doctor. โ€œYouโ€™ll be great.โ€

Will it? I thought. Will I?

I wasnโ€™t afraid of the delivery. I wasnโ€™t afraid of having a baby; I was afraid of having a baby.

A person.

A little human being in my arms and home and life whoโ€™d rely on me for everything.

I have no idea how to do this. No idea.

Iโ€™d been fairly resourceful up to that point in my life. I could figure things out. Most times, with enough thinking and research, viable solutions lay not too far from the problem. Of course, the biggest problem lurking behind all these solutions was my own pride.

I hadnโ€™t come up with a solution for that, yet.

Enter motherhood.

Foreign, terrifying territory. For me, nothing has been more humbling than mothering. Children do things we cannot understand in ways weโ€™d never predict. They steal our hearts and fill them with unexplainable passion. And they push our limits and test our resources beyond our wildest imagination.

They place this tiny person in your arms and say, “Go, now. Raise her. Teach her. Love her. And, by the way, you’re responsible, in part, for the development of her eternal soul. Congratulations!โ€

Oh, dear. I canโ€™t do this. I struggle enough as it is.

I donโ€™t eat enough kale. I turn right when they tell me to turn left. How will I know if sheโ€™s eating enough? What if the waterโ€™s too hot?

baby

Where is the manual!

That’s when the devil comes running. He smells fear and insecurity and feeds both. Before we know it, we’re under attack every waking moment. Questioning the calling, fighting boredom and expectation, and constantly wondering โ€“ What if I mess this up?

Motherhood is no picnic. It’s spiritual battle. It’s uncomfortable. It requires us to fall on our knees with open, empty hands and plead with our Father for wisdom, discernment, grace, and the will to fight.

God brought His solution to my pride in the form of small human beings. {Tweet This}

Little ones who call me mama. Through them, these children, Godโ€™s humbled me, revealed both my futility and His absoluteness. Heโ€™s wiped prideโ€™s tar and revealed Grace. He used ignorance to shake and break me. Heโ€™s spilled me of myself so that He might fill me of Himself.

When we finally resist ourselves, shelve our pride, ambition, control, and look to Him, He equips. We see it’s our Father Who’s placed these children – His children – in our care. He, in mercy and with grace, strengthens us for the battle.

It’s been almost 14 years since that first one landed in my arms. As I look back, I’m amazed. Itโ€™s hard to recognize that young, frightened woman in the doctorโ€™s office.

She had no idea the path that lay before her. Not an easy one, but every step with her Abba Father.

And every step with Him is so good.

M.D. Bronson

melissa bronsonM.D. Bronson is mother to four daughters. She’s wife and sister and daughter and friend. She thinks too much about things that donโ€™t matter and too little about the things that do.

If someone asked her, โ€œWhat are a few of your favorite things?โ€ she’d say, โ€œThereโ€™s nothing like a really, deep breath. Digging in dirt. Holding my daughtersโ€™ hands. Sharp pencils. Seeing my Fatherโ€™s hand spin Life in and around me. Oh, and words. I love words.โ€

She also wears a fanny pack sometimes.

Get to know Melissa better on her blog (you’ll be glad you did).

Check out her ministry page on Facebook.

Follow her on Twitter.ย