On Trusting the Prayer Process and the Baby Blues

(Episode 11)

+ Question 1

I'm not sure quite how to ask this question, so please be patient with me! I've heard you say that "through prayer we entrust ourselves to God's loving and providential care," but what does that mean? When I try to think through what I can expect from a more committed prayer life, I feel a spark of excitement, but also a fair bit of fear, because I'm afraid I'll feel let down. If I go to God with everything, won't He end up disappointing me sometimes? Surely there will be times when He will say "no" to my prayers, or maybe even ignore them. I guess I'm looking for some assurance that "entrusting myself to God's loving and providential care" is really the right way to happiness and fulfillment.

+ Question 2

I heard your beautiful answer to the mom who asked about bringing a crying baby to church, and I thought maybe you'd be able to help me too. I've got a 5 week old newborn and I'm really struggling with the baby blues. I don't know how to explain it better than to say that I love my baby, but so far there are moments when I really hate being a mom. I feel terribly guilty for feeling this way, but motherhood is so much harder than I expected, and I'm having a lot of trouble feeling grateful for this amazing gift God just bestowed on me. Will He forgive me for having such negative feelings towards my own child?