These first few months are really hard.

Sleepless nights, hours of crying, lives revolving around nursing and napping, siblings who are desperate for attention…even the bad kind.

These first few months are really beautiful.

Baby weight snuggled on your chest, satin soft skin wrapped in blankets, warm breath from tented mouth on your cheek, siblings huddled around in adoration.

There is much that is difficult and frustrating, bringing tears and even depression.

And.

There is an obvious beauty, a very clear purpose and reason to the difficulty.

It makes me wonder whether this is the way God sees what we call ugly. Whether He can see the obvious beauty, the very clear purpose to the very hard things in life.

Perhaps we struggle only because we feel the sleepless nights and cannot yet see the first toothless smile.

Perhaps we would find more joy in our ugly places if we would trust that God has beauty planned ahead.

Perhaps we would find more peace if we would trust that God can turn even the hardest bits of life into a reason that is adored.

Even if that reason is not discovered this side of death.

Think of those first few months…

and hope.