The past couple weeks I have been worn out.
My son started waking up screaming an hour earlier than his normal wake up time. For two weeks straight.
He didn’t get the memo that he was ruining my quiet time. I use the time before my kids wake up to work out, pray, read, or just enjoy the quiet moments. For me, getting a little time to gather myself up before my crazy day starts really makes a difference.
After a hard week, I went to church stuck in a pity party. Yes I slapped on a smile, but underneath it all I was struggling. Then my pastor said a few precious words that hit me like a ton of bricks.
He was talking about this verse from 1 Corinthians 15:58:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
He then gave modern day examples of what it looks like to abound in the work of the Lord. The first example was about stay-at-home moms. He said:
Abound in the work of the Lord: meaning wherever you are, there’s a reason God put you there. Do you realize that abounding in the work of the Lord for some is changing smelly diapers? And wiping snotty noses? I always talk to stay-at-home moms: what you do is so vitally important. And it’s pleasing to your Father and great worth in His sight. Because you’re investing in the family that He’s entrusted to you. You are investing in the lives of your children…very very important! I don’t ever want a stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home-dad to say that what I do is not important. It’s critically important. It’s HARD work.
At first, hearing my pastor say this made me want to stand up and shout “YES!”. Hearing that recognition and encouragement was so powerful. Then the more he talked, his words made me practically bawl {which is not like me at all}
So why was I crying so much?
Two reasons.
1) I was in desperate need of encouragement
For me, motherhood as a stay-at-home mom sometimes feels like a never ending load of laundry: monotonous and the difference being made is hard to see. There’s no inbox that gets emptied. There’s no tangible way to measure how much work you’ve gotten done. There’s no performance evaluation to show how well or bad you’re doing as a mother.
Other times, motherhood feels amazing. Just taking a moment and looking at my two kids I often have to pinch myself, almost not believing that I get to raise them. I’m so blessed to have them.
Abounding in the work of the Lord for me right now does mean changing poopy diapers. Pretending with my daughter. Administering time-outs. Laughing with my kids. Getting up several times for each kid through the night. The key is doing these things with the right attitude and focus.
Performing these tasks with a joyful heart knowing this work is important, valuable, and pleasing in His sight has made such a difference for me. Because “…in the Lord (my) labor is not in vain.”
I’m not saying that every moment I’m June Cleaver with the perfect sunshiny life. Refocusing on the things my Father wants for me helps me roll with the punches.
So the next week when my days were still not going my way, I was okay with it dealing with it. God hasn’t taken the struggle away; He’s equipped me to handle it with a better attitude. I’ve been gently reminded that God has built me to be the mother to these two precious kids. No one else can do this job because I’m the one He chose to do it. Feeling encouraged and empowered by God to do what He’s made me to do gives me a whole new perspective.
{Seeing that this post was getting WAY too long, I’m going to have to slap a “to be continued” on it. Stay tuned for the rest of this story, coming in my next post.}
Until then, I want to know:
- What helps you to cope when you’re worn out?
- What are the most encouraging words you’ve received about parenting?
This post was linked to Inspire Me Please and In and Out of the Kitchen
