VIDEO: This Commercial Captures Parenting’s “Big Picture”

This ad from Coca-Cola Argentina captures the contradictory nature of parenting better than anything I’ve seen in a long time.

It also does a marvelous job of capturing the splendor of marriage and raising children.

Let’s face it. Parenting can certainly play to the extremes. In one Facebook status update a mom can share about her challenging day homeschooling but two hours later post a picture of her kids with a caption suggesting parenting is the most rewarding thing she’s ever done.

A couple might be working through money tension at the end of the pay period when the conversation excitedly turns to expanding the family.

Or what about the grumpy dad who gets out of bed when the baby cries at 3 a.m. … only to have his heart melt a minute later as he snuggles with his little girl.

To those on the outside looking in, the challenges of parenting may not appear to be worth it.

Of course, if you ask me, it’s a blessing and experience that all the money in the world couldn’t buy.

To those of us living through the beautiful mess of parenting, we know our children are, as Scripture says, truly gifts from God. You just have to take that leap of faith.

Let me know what you think about this commercial in the comments section. Did you and your spouse resist the idea of children out of fear, like a lack of finances? Did you resist out of simple selfishness, like wanting to perpetually sleep in on Saturday mornings?