I’m a big believer that when you get to the end of yourself, that’s when God shows up. And he really showed up yesterday. Before I tell you the breakthrough, I need to share a little background.

My son, Man Cub Underfoot, has had me at the end of myself more times than I can count for the past 21 months. He was the baby that brought me back from a place of deep pain to a place of “I give up” on a regular basis.

I gave up my writing business because of him. I gave up my expectations of when children should do things.

He’s taught me that time doesn’t rush forward like I’ve always pushed it to. He’s taught me that sometimes life doesn’t hum along like a Disney melody. It’s more like blues improv. Smooth in places, rough in others and jammin’ in others.

The rough patches are where I want to quit. I want to move to a deserted island. I tell my family I’m going away to the bathroom for a week. But they always follow me.

I wanted to quit day before yesterday. Man Cub was so frustrated all.the.time. He just won’t talk. Everything is a gesture or a slap or an “Uh.” I’m so frustrated that he can’t tell me what’s wrong.

But we had a breakthrough. He started saying “K” when we asked him to do something.

He was pretty tough to get to bed the past week. When they just won’t go to sleep, it means something big is about to happen. It means they are going through something. I just chalked it up to being out of our routine this past week. But I was wrong.

Man Cub was working on something big, just when I needed it.

He woke up from his nap yesterday talking.

Not just a word or two. He can say just about anything I ask him.

My heart leaped with joy at 12:15 yesterday afternoon. He went through a list of all the people and pets in our house, “Momma, Daddy, Sissy, Baby, Ally and Oscar.”

We’ve been playing the game, “Can you say?” He’ll either say it or tell me no.

I’m grinning like a big fool today. And thanking God for a breakthrough. My big girl can read and my man cub can talk. All is right in our world this moment.

Galatians 6:9 is speaking to me today: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Don’t give up. Your breakthrough could be on the other side of a nap.