I have to confess I've had kind of a bad attitude in the last few days. I'm feeling bored and discontent. Baby Z has been frustrating (partly because of a minor cold and canine teeth coming in, I think). Yesterday he was so tired but didn't sleep at all during his afternoon nap. He's been whiny and finicky when eating, intentionally throwing food on the floor. I feel like if I have to clean up the floor one more time, I might scream.
A verse came to mind this morning: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phillipians 4:13) Usually I think of this verse in times of stress: exams at school, deadlines at work, sickness in the family, troubled relationships. Today, I thought about my day and what "challenges" I would be facing. And I realized that God would give me strength even in the mundane: the fixing food (again!), the laundry, the sweeping, the wiping up, the changing diapers, the saying "no" for the 2034th time. And God will give me the strength to do more than just endure. He'll give me the love and attitude of service that He commands.
A friend at MOPS shared with us all about what it says in 1 Corinthians 13: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." Her words have stuck with me. Love is what makes me a mother and a wife. Without love, I'm just a floor-mopper, meal-fixer, space-taker in our home. It is up to me to make our home full of love and service. I know I don't succeed at it every day, but at least I know it's God strength, not mine, that is going to make it happen. And I guess the next time I wipe up the floor around Baby Z's highchair, I'll already be in position to pray for more strength.
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3 comments:
funny how you might be wanting to switch places with me and AM right now after seeing us with our wee ones. but i guarantee once you are there again, you will be remembering this time with fondness....you will be telling Baby Z, "remember when it was just the 2 of us, sitting on the couch and acting like grownups?" and i am sure when i am saying no for the 2035th time, i will wish i was back in this stage. pumping and blogging at the same time...ah...memories. :)
What a great post! Thanks for the reminder. I know that feeling of "if i have to do "x" one more time..."... but you just gave me a new perspective. Thank you!
hi, thanks for all your great posts. i've been stealth for the past who knows how long, but i enjoy reading your blog. great encouragement in this one about love and God's strength in the mundane. one email i received compared raising children with building a cathedral - it takes much work and patience and a lot of it goes unrecognized but you have a wonderful treasure at the end.
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