God understands - we are weak

Today, our verse in Psalm 103 is this one:

As a father has compassion on his children,    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; (v 13)

Some things you just don't "get" until you have children. Or until you take care of a loved one's children. Either way, the things you thought you knew go right out the window.

Before you have kids, you watch as other people have them. You see a lot.
You see that kids are gross. And they do gross things. And there's a lot of cleaning up that has to be done.
I'm not just talking about their bathroom habits (or before that, the diapers). It's true there are a lot of clean up jobs there. 
I'm also talking about how the crumbs and spills happen.
Everywhere.
In the dining room. At the restaurant. In the car. In the living room.
And crumbs, by the way, have this innate ability to multiply. Rabbits have nothing on them. No matter how much you wipe them down, scrub, and vacuum (not the kids, the floors), there are always more!
Which is exactly the problem with toys. I used to tell myself that we wouldn't be "those parents" who had a house strewn with toys. What am I saying? I've seen houses that threatened to explode if one more toy was brought in...... oh, wait, that was our house. Even if you try to hold the line and not buy too many or overindulge the kiddos, there are always grandparents and friends bringing toys, and then there are those "happy meal" toys, too.
Then there's the problem of not having time to do things that really do need to be done. Cleaning house. Laundry. Taking a shower. Grocery shopping.  I also swore that I would not be one of those parents whose kids wailed and moaned and acted up in the store. (Actually, we did pretty well on this one.) I have seen others, though...... Mooooooooom, I want that. Moooooooom, I'm hungry. It was only five grapes. Dadeeeeee, can I have a bite of your donut? Can I go potty here? That man is staring at me. Look! That lady has a really big nose!
I could go on.

In spite of all the things I've mentioned, the experience of being a parent is one that will bring out some amazing feelings. I really don't think anyone has any idea of how much they can love another person until they have a kid. It's the most intense, fiercest love that one can imagine. A woman will become a tigress to protect her kids and make sure that no harm comes to them.  Suddenly, she will become selfless, self-sacrificing, and protective. Giving one's life for one's children suddenly makes sense, in both the figurative and literal senses. (Even when they don't appreciate it.) My grandmother-in-law used to say, "They step on your toes when they're little, and they step on your heart when they're bigger."

When they can't sleep, we carry them and rock them. We sing to them. We make sure they rest, even though our own bodies are crying out for sleep. When they are frightened, we pick them up and hug and comfort them. When they are hurt, we bandage and soothe them.
Godly parents are wonderful pointers to our heavenly Father. When we have done our job well, our children will find it easier to believe and trust in their loving Father God. Our children learn that we do not worship a god of stone, or an idol. They learn that we serve a God Who knows our weaknesses and loves us anyway.

God can give us rest when we are aching for sleep. He can give us peace when we are stressed. God will comfort us when we are frightened, and soothe our hurts, as well.

A well-known poem tells of a person who sees his own footprints in the sand, and then sees God's footprints, walking with him through life. At one point, there is only one set of footprints, and the child of God remembers that it was a part of his life that was full of sadness and difficulty. Then Jesus reminds him that there is only one set of footprints there because Christ was carrying him along.

God knows our weaknesses; He understands our fears. He knows when we're too tired to keep going.

And He carries us along.