Daily Thoughts

I'm diverging from the usual family update post and sharing some personal thoughts. We're eight weeks in to Hannah's school year and have noticed I am enjoying the home school days more than last year. I am thankful for this, and have felt more content lately with being at home. 

At the same time, sometimes my days feel very insignificant or mundane. The other week I was writing an email to someone I haven't seen in a while, and was giving them a brief update on our happenings. The kids are easy to write about: school happenings, activities, cute things they've said, the like. I realized as I was writing, I had nothing significant to write about me. Nobody really wants to hear about your days when they involve wiping dirty faces, cleaning up messes, giving kids (more) snacks, doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc. That realization left me feeling a bit discouraged, is what I'm doing meaningful? 

 

Right after journaling/praying about this, I opened up to chapter three of my devotional, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full. Chapter three is all about keeping an eternal perspective as we are raising our children. The author writes, "When the mundane looms larger than eternal life, we forget who God is, who we are, and who our children are." It was such a good reminder to not be fixated on the temporary, daily challenges but think of our kids in light of eternity and as little image bearers of God. I'm so thankful when God leads me to a word that I need in that very moment.

And that evening, in the mundane of brushing teeth and getting ready for bed, Caleb paused (mid-brush) and said, "I love Jesus!" And I reminded him that Jesus loves him too, and so do his Mommy and Daddy. It felt like a reminder from God of what I read that morning, that even in the mundane and the teeth brushing, there is room for eternity. So I'm trying to remember, that though on the surface my days may look unimportant or inconsequential, there is more going on than I can see. These kids are a gift, entrusted to my care for a short while, and I want to make the most of these days.