For the Mamas.

This journey of motherhood.....

This life of cooking and cleaning,
of washing and wiping,
of teaching and living,
and of loving and learning...

Sometimes, it's hard to measure the "productivity" of what we are doing - at least by the world's standards, anyway. In careers outside the home there are visible rewards of our "successes" - paychecks and pay raises...tangible evidences of our hard work.

With this job called motherhoood, it comes with no pay raises, most things need to be re-done the very next day...if not multiple times during that SAME day, and most times no one even sees what is being done to constantly try and maintain some semblance of order and structure amidst the chaos and mess of a typical day.

This endless cycle of serving and bringing order back from chaos...
And this endless whirlwird of routine and at times monotony ---
might it also be an endless cycle of grace?

And in His eyes - a journey of redemptive success?

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, and I was sick and you looked after me." ~ Jesus, Matthew 25:35-36

Who is more hungry than an infant or a constantly growing little child?
Who is more naked than a freshly born baby?
Who is more a stranger than when a little one first comes into the world knowing no one?
And who gets sick more often than little kids perpetually sharing each other's germs?

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the LEAST of these brothers of mine, you did for me!" ~ Jesus, Matthew 25:40
And who is more "least" in the world's eyes, than a little tiny child?

But we already know that Jesus views most of life far differently than those of us down here.

I'm pretty sure that Jesus sees what we're doing as a sacred enterprise -- much MUCH more than mere acts of picking up mismatched socks, wiping dirty counter tops, refereeing sibling squabbles, and cleaning potty seats from little boys' missed aims.

What we are doing is redemptive and transformational - both for us and for our children. By God's grace, we may teach our children a thing or two, but the truth is - we are living admist holy teachers. They show us how to laugh and how to grieve; how to live courageously and how much we need our Father. They teach us humility every.single.day., and they help us face our inadequacy and our need for the One who is the ultimate parent, and the One who gave us these gifts on loan in the first place.

May God bless us all with grace and love abounding.
May we know that our Heavenly Father takes great pleasure in what we do.
May we not ache for the world's standard of success.
And may we remember that "the work we do is only our love for Jesus in action." ~ Mother Teresa.

"If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus...that's what makes us content." ~ Mother Teresa.

* * * * *
2171. My three sons - holy teachers.
2172. Me, the delinquent student - learning.
2173. Heaven's perspective on importance and success.
2174. Humility retaught...and relearn-ing every day.
2175. Gifts - on loan, mine only for a season.