I recently overheard some moms chatting about what they had "given up" to be stay at home moms with their kids, and how "purposeless" their lives were now. They complained about their lack of freedom, their inability to shop for the latest trends in fashion and home decor, and how they were no longer considered "successful". They gabbed on about how ordinary their days were, and how boring. About two minutes into the conversation I knew that our perspectives were very different, or so I hoped. Afterwards, I thought long and hard about what I had just heard, and began to examine my own thoughts, motives, and heart with regards to being a wife and a mom. Do I see what I do as a "have to" or a "get to"? Have I "given up" my hopes, dreams and aspirations to sit at home all day? Am I no longer "free"? And do I find myself seeing my days as ordinary? Have I become "unsuccessful"?
I began to realize that although my perspective (because I know the Truth) is very different, there are attitudes at times, in my heart, that reflect those very ideas that these women were sharing.
If someone asked me what I wanted to from the time I was 5 on, I would have answered the same...a wife and a mom, that is all I want to do. I had dreams and aspirations, yes, but they were always wrapped around this idea that I would be a stay at home wife and mom. I would dream often about what it would be like, and prayed and prayed for those dreams to become reality. So here I am, 26 years old, and living that "dream". Is it everything I chalked it up to be? Is it a dream come true? That was the question I asked myself after listening to these women. And in my heart there was an instant, YES. I began to realize in that moment, how blessed and thankful I truly am. And how my perspective (aka TRUTH) must shape the attitude of my heart in every situation, even on those hard days when I'm running on little sleep, the house is a mess, and I feel like I don't know what I am doing as a mom.
These ideas popped into my head after thinking about my roles as a wife, and a mom...
You GET TO Be A Wife and a Mom
So often, as wives and moms, well I guess as humans, our perspective shifts from the "get to" to the "have to". We "have to" go to church, to pick up our kids from soccer, to the grocery store etc. But Truth has gone awry when we begin to think in such a way. We must remember that we "get to" do so many of these things, by the grace of God. We deserve absolutely NOTHING good, in fact, we deserve hell, and separation from the Lord, BUT God, in His love and mercy saved us (as believers) and has blessed us above and beyond that salvation. So when we are tempted to think, "I have to clean my house", or "I have to make dinner", or I have to...you fill in the blank; change that to "I get to!", and remember the abundance of grace bestowed upon you.
The Mundane IS Kingdom Work
Let's face it, as a mother and a wife, our days are pretty ordinary. We wake up, make breakfast, play with our kids, clean up spills, potty train, take our children to school, discipline, clean the house, nurse our babies, help with homework, run errands, walk to the park, and the list goes on. Nothing "special" might happen on an ordinary day, or so we may be tempted to think. But the reality is, every day we are doing kingdom work. Every dish done, story read, meal made, and prayer prayed is all part of God's perfectly designed plan to bring Him glory. Nothing goes unnoticed, or unrewarded for that matter (when it is done with a heart as unto the Lord). Our home isn't here, we are simply passing through, with a greater kingdom on the other side!
Everyday is Purposed and Designed
Nothing happens by chance. If your 8 month old decided to stay up all night crying, your three year old spilled a gallon of milk on the floor, or your teenager lost their cell phone at school, you can rest in knowing that it is all part of His perfect plan. Sin sets things awry, from our perspective, but the Truth is, God purposes good out of even what is evil. We can know that He is working in our everyday life with an end goal in sight- our Christ likeness and His glory. There is nothing that happens on any ordinary day that isn't designed by the hand of the Father. So when you are discouraged, remember that Truth, and find peace.
Little Eyes Help Us SEE
Enjoy the little eyes in your life and SEE His glory and beauty through them. The way an infant stares at your face for hours everyday, the way a one year old finds the wind simply wonderful, the way a five year old looks at the ocean and can't believe its splendor, or how a ten year old stands amazed at the first snow fall they've ever seen...these are all glimpses of His glory that we get to experience, again, through the eyes of the little ones in our life.
So when, and if you are tempted, as a mother and wife, to see your role and duties as simple, purposeless, ordinary, or worse, unenjoyable, STOP and REMEMBER TRUTH, and let that inform your heart.
I began to realize that although my perspective (because I know the Truth) is very different, there are attitudes at times, in my heart, that reflect those very ideas that these women were sharing.
If someone asked me what I wanted to from the time I was 5 on, I would have answered the same...a wife and a mom, that is all I want to do. I had dreams and aspirations, yes, but they were always wrapped around this idea that I would be a stay at home wife and mom. I would dream often about what it would be like, and prayed and prayed for those dreams to become reality. So here I am, 26 years old, and living that "dream". Is it everything I chalked it up to be? Is it a dream come true? That was the question I asked myself after listening to these women. And in my heart there was an instant, YES. I began to realize in that moment, how blessed and thankful I truly am. And how my perspective (aka TRUTH) must shape the attitude of my heart in every situation, even on those hard days when I'm running on little sleep, the house is a mess, and I feel like I don't know what I am doing as a mom.
These ideas popped into my head after thinking about my roles as a wife, and a mom...
You GET TO Be A Wife and a Mom
So often, as wives and moms, well I guess as humans, our perspective shifts from the "get to" to the "have to". We "have to" go to church, to pick up our kids from soccer, to the grocery store etc. But Truth has gone awry when we begin to think in such a way. We must remember that we "get to" do so many of these things, by the grace of God. We deserve absolutely NOTHING good, in fact, we deserve hell, and separation from the Lord, BUT God, in His love and mercy saved us (as believers) and has blessed us above and beyond that salvation. So when we are tempted to think, "I have to clean my house", or "I have to make dinner", or I have to...you fill in the blank; change that to "I get to!", and remember the abundance of grace bestowed upon you.
The Mundane IS Kingdom Work
Let's face it, as a mother and a wife, our days are pretty ordinary. We wake up, make breakfast, play with our kids, clean up spills, potty train, take our children to school, discipline, clean the house, nurse our babies, help with homework, run errands, walk to the park, and the list goes on. Nothing "special" might happen on an ordinary day, or so we may be tempted to think. But the reality is, every day we are doing kingdom work. Every dish done, story read, meal made, and prayer prayed is all part of God's perfectly designed plan to bring Him glory. Nothing goes unnoticed, or unrewarded for that matter (when it is done with a heart as unto the Lord). Our home isn't here, we are simply passing through, with a greater kingdom on the other side!
Everyday is Purposed and Designed
Nothing happens by chance. If your 8 month old decided to stay up all night crying, your three year old spilled a gallon of milk on the floor, or your teenager lost their cell phone at school, you can rest in knowing that it is all part of His perfect plan. Sin sets things awry, from our perspective, but the Truth is, God purposes good out of even what is evil. We can know that He is working in our everyday life with an end goal in sight- our Christ likeness and His glory. There is nothing that happens on any ordinary day that isn't designed by the hand of the Father. So when you are discouraged, remember that Truth, and find peace.
Little Eyes Help Us SEE
Enjoy the little eyes in your life and SEE His glory and beauty through them. The way an infant stares at your face for hours everyday, the way a one year old finds the wind simply wonderful, the way a five year old looks at the ocean and can't believe its splendor, or how a ten year old stands amazed at the first snow fall they've ever seen...these are all glimpses of His glory that we get to experience, again, through the eyes of the little ones in our life.
So when, and if you are tempted, as a mother and wife, to see your role and duties as simple, purposeless, ordinary, or worse, unenjoyable, STOP and REMEMBER TRUTH, and let that inform your heart.
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