I used to think that hearing stories of moms who run and hide in their pantries and in their bathrooms from their children was just a thing that only the “dramatic” moms did.

Then I became that mom.

I began going to the grocery store for 1 item just to get a quick break more often than I really needed. A quick drive through to grab some fries then walk the aisles of the store just to see if I missed anything is a blessing at times.

We all need breaks and rest. Even the Lord required that His chosen place for the Israelites be allowed to rest (no working the land) for an entire sabbath year. So, I don’t feel bad for needing breaks.

The problem comes when we are escaping to avoid our role and responsibilities as parents. Or if we are escaping to avoid a hard conversation that we need to have, or a presentation that we don’t want to give. 

Being moved away from our chosen place is not the same as giving our chosen place a rest. Our work is not in vain. Our daily interactions with our children when they are not acting the way we want them to and have more energy than we can bear is a labor in the Lord.

Those hard discussions with a spouse, a friend, a coworker or boss are not in vain – if we are truly engaged in the conversation we are giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. When we do things that make us uncomfortable and fearful in the name of the Lord, we are giving ourselves to Him.

We are not made to be moved every time we face a situation we don’t want to be in or feel we don’t have the strength for. We are to stand firm. Leaning in when we feel the urge to resist or figuring out how to deal with the situation if it’s out of our control. Facing it head on when we want to run and hide with our brownies – or is that just me? 

In this we will be rewarded. We will be rewarded with amazing relationships with our children where we know what can calm them down and keep them thriving. We will be rewarded with respect and greater understanding in relationships with our loved ones after making it through those tough talks. We will be rewarded with confidence, and maybe even a promotion, after surviving an uncomfortable experience. Rewarded because this work is not in vain.

When you are tempted to run and hide, what will you pray and lean on to overcome the feeling of wanting to run?