I remember when the Lord gave me the revelation that He was pleased with the work I did with my children. All the way down to changing diapers and feeding them, dressing them and holding and hugging them. He let me know that He was very happy and smiling upon me as He watched me take care of my children. He gave us this important job to do, and He will equip us. We can stop our whirling thoughts for a minute or two and meditate or pray or worship. It takes an effort. It takes casting down imaginations. But we can do it!
Some of us go through a time when we have many young ones (or just one or two young ones) when we feel that maybe our time could be spent better elsewhere, doing something more important, at least more fulfilling. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and frustrated with the same old, same old of taking care of little ones that we can’t really hold a decent conversation with.
I went through several years of such feelings and thoughts. And it was very hard to find time to just be alone with God. The children demanded (and sometimes I just thought they did) so much of my time and attention. But I learned to pray in the midst of the work. I prayed in the Spirit often because it was too hard to really focus and think about what I should pray.
And then one day, the Lord broke through my whirling thoughts and conflicting desires and spoke to me. He told me that He was pleased with me when I changed my baby’s diaper. It meant a lot to Him! What? Really? He went on to tell me that all of the little things I did in caring for my children blessed Him and made Him happy.
Oh, that really changed the way I looked at the whole daily grind of taking care of many little ones. I knew the meaning of doing everything as unto the Lord. I realized that it really meant something to Him, so then it meant more to me, too. It couldn’t be just anyone taking care of these little mundane tasks involved in their care. It had to be me, because I wanted to be the one receiving the blessing and giving the blessing, not only to my child but also to God. After that, motherhood became much more meaningful.
I hope this blesses you, and helps you to see the value and importance of mothering today.
God is pleased with your work! He is smiling upon you and your children. Receive His warmth and love for you today!
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
