Life is So...Daily!

The Glorious. The Mundane. Two integral parts of life with God, life on earth, and life as a mother.

I've always wanted to be a mother. I've loved holding and playing with children since I was a preschooler, and used to whisper loving messages into the ears of little babies. I knew a mom was a wonderful thing, and I knew I would be one. I pictured myself walking the hallway singing to my little one, dressing them up and showing them off. And as I grew in faith, I figured I'd grow my own flock of disciples. My dream of getting married and having children came true. After two years of marriage, we had our first child, and two more came rapid-fire after. I was a little disconcerted that I didn't feel that parenting was as neat a bundle as I thought, for everyone is the perfect parent, until they have kids. I did not find myself nearly as adept at the undertaking as I'd imagined. Since then, there has been no denying the glorious aspects of motherhood. Glory moments, I call them. Rocking before nap, with a warm little face pressed into my neck. Playing chase in the grass, and having tickle fests. Watching their emerging personalities and blooming creativity. Watching big brother tenderly give his sister a blanket, his own cuddle toy before she goes down for her nap. Seeing their earnestness about God and fielding their questions about life. Sharing with my husband the joy that has come from God having brought us together.

I have felt less prepared for the mundane aspects of motherhood. And these have daily recurrences. Diaper changes, rancid piles of laundry, snotty noses leading to cancelled plans, siren-force whining, the dinner dilemna, and daily “duty” with no weekends or holidays off. You wake up and wonder whether your getting up and doing the drill all over again will really make any difference. There are the times where the nurturing, patient, all-wise mother I long to be is no where to be found, and in its place is a hollering and inconsistent basket-case, desperately looking for the pause button on these children, to obtain just two hours (or two minutes) of peace. At such times, it's a struggle to see how the daily grind fits into our higher call.

"Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him," presents a continual challenge to me. How do I do these things to the glory of God? Didn't He mean the great things? The women's conferences, the counseling sessions, the visits with the dying, the testimonials and solos? The events where you can feel the presence and pleasure of the Lord upon you, and can see on others' faces that they do too? It's clear that God is glorified that way. It's easy to carry out such feats with a sense of its larger purpose and importance in the eternal. But I've found such moments and occasions to be the exception. They are linked together by a whole lot of ordinary moments and days.

Interesting how God gave us life in 24 hour segments. That each one starts the same, with the sun rising, and ends with it setting. That our bodies (and those of our little ones) require at least three feeding sessions in that time period, several trips to handle elimination (and diaper changes), and an extended period of sleep (what's that).
Noah had lots of boat building days between the revelation and the event. God could have fast-forwarded his work. A hundred years is a long time to be building a spectacle for the neighborhood. A lot of sandwiches for Noah's wife to pack for he and the boys. A lot of tar pitch stained fingers, banged thumbnails, and sore joints. And then the fulfillment of God's promise came. Or is living out the nitty gritty daily drill itself our higher call?
Serving through the mundane as unto the Lord, requires the forming of Christ's character in us. Perseverance. Humility. Selflessness. Self-Discipline. Gratitude. Contentment. My mother says that motherhood evokes ultimate discipleship, as each day, I am presented with the necessity and the opportunity to lay my life down, again. Each day I can make a choice to look more to God. To take my expectations and disappointments up to Him. To hold Him to his promise that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, nor do His mercies. They are in fact new, and needed, every morning.

Yes our life as a mother, as a believer, is to be extraordinary. But in countless ordinary ways of living out the nitty gritty daily drill to the glory of God. Turning middle of the night sleep disruptions into prayer sessions. Remembering while replenishing the pantry, depositing at the bank, and returning library books, to be mindful to reach out to and pray for those whose paths intersect ours. Talking about the unseen God over oatmeal and grits. Praying for the workers and the people hurt when we hear a siren. Asking God to give us eternal eyes for the little things, for the least of these.

Help me Lord, to live my life as a joyful servant, within the 24 hour days and duties You have allotted to me. To do, as Mother Teresa spoke, small things with great love. Shower me with your mercies, which are, I'm grateful to bear witness, new every morning.