We Are Doing So Much More
While being a stay-at-home mom has its own kind of freedom, which I value and enjoy, it is also a position that completely exhausts my mind and body. Why is it that I had more energy after an 8 hour day at the office than I now have at home by lunchtime? Part of it is because it takes a huge amount of mental energy to hear all those voices all over the house all day long, while still tuning in to what they are saying and processing how you can appropriately respond or solve the problem at hand. Part of it is because running on three bites of cold dinner isn’t exactly a balanced diet, and part of it is that the weekend is no more relaxing than the middle of the week. Most of it, though, is because loving the people in our lives requires more continuous pouring out of ourselves and all our resources than making money at any job. We simply have a lot of heart and a lot of hope that we are gladly and lovingly handing out by the bucket loads all day, every day.
Whether you are with your children all day, as I am, or you don’t see them until the evening most days, we all sometimes need a fresh reminder that we have the overwhelmingly amazing blessing of caring for the precious people in our life. And when I can see past the dirty laundry and deep scratches on my pretty dining room table and focus instead on the people whom I am serving, then I have begun the more important journey of ministering to my family. Investing in them. Cherishing them. Lifting them to the Lord in prayer, and inviting His presence into our home through praise.
And on those super tough days when it’s still too overwhelming, and you’re like me and maybe feeling under-appreciated, remember that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are even part of something bigger than our home. We are part of the body of Christ, and His kingdom. Our Lord sees our efforts, knows our hearts, hears our prayers, and is protecting our homes as we continually seek Him and teach our families to do the same. We aren’t only keeping house, overseeing education, paying bills, and running errands – We are doing so much more.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord – not for men; since you know it is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23