Being Number Two

Wake Up Call

One of the hardest adjustments I ever had to make was having my first child. It did what nothing else could do: it knocked selfishness out of me. This was selfishness so deep, so cemented into the core of my being that I had absolutely no idea it even existed. But God knew. Jessica was born before I was a Christian so God was graciously at work even then.

I remember coming home from the hospital and sitting on the sofa in deep depression – probably some normal post-partum blues. I saw my life in chains for the next eighteen years. And oh yes, my life was certainly different. No more jumping in the car for an errand or outing. Not with all the packing and preparation that had to be done with a baby. I found it was easier to stay home and send my husband to the store.

What have I gotten myself into? I can’t do a rewind here. Of course, not that I seriously wanted to because a mother’s love had also kicked in. Still, every day there were more revelations that my priority system was turned upside-down. Babies have a way of making it quiet clear who is Number One.

What a good thing! It took awhile, probably at least two years, but it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. In Philippians 2:3 it says; “let each esteem others better than himself.” The baby helped me learn my place: being Number Two!

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