This was such a great reminder to me.
The Dailyness by Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
Life wouldn’t be so hard if it wasn’t so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress – attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream – you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my co ping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can’t seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women wou ld love to have, but don’t. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, “The thing is to rely on God… Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done.”
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother’s womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearl y from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
The dailyness of motherhood is one of the things that I struggle with the most right now. I am always tell people that the hardest part about being a parent is that is a 24/7 job. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mommy and love my children more then I can put into words but there are some days when I just am tired of being there for them, of putting my daughter in her room every five minutes, having to let my son nurse again when I don’t want to be touched, of cleaning the same mess up that I cleaned yesterday, and so on and so forth. I miss the times before I had children where Mathew and I could run out at random times (read 11 or 12 at night) and do something fun, not having to clean my house once a week if that, being able to be totally selfish, of not having to decided between diapers and the cute dress I found, and other such things of that nature.
So right now my biggest struggle being a mommy is that its a 24/7 job but lately I have been reminded over and over again that this is where I wanted so desperately to be before I got married. Also that this is a season that will pass and I will miss it as muh as I complain about it now.
So I am learning (very very slowly) to be content and to look past the next load of laundry, the constant discipline, the screaming baby, and tiredness that never goes away. The thing I want to focus on are the precious moment that I do have like when my daughter leans up against me and says she likes me, when my son gives me the biggest smiles and giggles, when I feel accomplished after getting the sticky floor clean again, and when my husband comes home after a long day and he gives me his undivided attention so I can unwind.
God has given me the desires of my heart by giving me my family!!! So many women have not been bless with children like me or they have it so much harder then me. I need to remember this when I am in the thick of things!! I need to give Him back the glory by meeting every need that my family has and being content in where he has placed me!!
Are you struggling with the 24/7 ness of motherhood? What are the things that get you through this season in our lives?
I thought I would share a little bit of what I have been learning.
) so I can only be on when my husband is not working. Hopefully I will be able to do some more post this week but if not I will be back when we get a new computer.
