Oh – and here’s a picture of something else that made me stop and smile recently.
Yes, I know, it’s a smudgy footprint. :)
I was mopping the livingroom floor when one of the kids walked by…right over what I was mopping! So I quickly mopped it again…and then again…and, once again…
…then I stopped and laughed. Why am I doing this? Really. Why? I wasn’t mopping the floor because it was dirty. I wanted the floor to be smudge free and look magazine perfect. Why? Because when I see it shining in the sunlight, it makes me feel happy. :) But why does it matter? No one else cares! Really, no one! Wes laughs at me for constantly “shining” the floor. So actually, could it be that it’s…selfish?
Ouch.
I could be running through the livingroom with my precious, crazy kids, and here I am acting like some loony woman with OCD. I snapped a pic as a reminder for myself. I’m thinking that maybe I should order a huge b&w canvas print to hang on the wall opposite my bed so it’s the first thing I see in the morning. ;)
I just want to encourage all of my Mommy friends to seize the moments…they really will be gone sooner than we think. And yes, we do need to keep a clean house, but it doesn’t have to look like a picture from the latest Martha Stewart catalog. Here are some simple, honest questions that I have stopped to ask myself recently.
- When my kids think of me – do they think fun? Or is that word something that, in their little minds is linked to other people – other places? You see, fun (though it probably seems frivolous to us) is one of the special ways that they receive love.
- Do my kids ask me to play, or read a book, or does it not cross their minds because they know I have a list to check off and I’ll say “maybe later”? (I do realize that this can be taken too far, and that children should learn to wait at times, and also to be helpers. But is my answer most often, “not now”?)
- If someone were to take a snapshot of my “mental list”on a normal day – you know – the list that’s filled with all of the “important” things I need to do that day, would cleaning the fridge or dusting my prized furniture be on that list before spending quality time with my precious little ones?
- And lastly, Why do I do what I do? What is my real motivation? We can all come up with answers that sound good – but what are the the REAL reasons? Could it be that my main motivator is pride?
I am so ashamed.
I am also reminded of a beautiful poem that used to hang on my Mom’s wall when I was younger.
Maybe I should frame a copy to go beside my gigantic canvas footprint?
I am praying for God to help me to be more Christ-like in this area of prioritizing. I am asking Him to help me be conformed to the image of His Son, so that I can be a better Mom – not just a housekeeper and cook. It may seem small or even silly, but it has become an issue in my life. I am so thankful for the job God has given me to do. It has taken me several years to really understand this, but for now, it IS my “calling”. And it’s a worthy one! How many times my sweet and wise Mother has tried to share this with me.
And what freedom this realization brings! I have felt for so long that it wasn’t enough, or that surely it didn’t count as serving God. I have felt trapped and chained to what others expect of me. But He is patiently and tenderly showing me that this is how I can be most pleasing to Him.
I have been amazed at the opportunities that He has provided for me to share His love with others – right while I am doing what He has asked me to do! Opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I weren’t just being a Mommy with all of my heart!
I say, bring on the footprints! :)
