Ordinary Life

(Inside: In just 5 minutes, I was reminded of the absolute joy of being a mother. Being a mother is the best feeling. Being a mother is a blessing.)

The sun had folded its cards and tucked itself behind the horizon, and I was done with all things motherhood.

When it’s time to go to bed at night, I shut down as quickly as a power outage. Instantly, I’m OVER grading papers, taxing my kids to activities, and asking my kids to give back my phone charger.

The other night, I walked into my son’s room and curtly declared, “It’s time for bed.”

However, the scene made me stop.

My three boys were sitting together with Pokémon cards spread out in front of them. My 14, 12, and 9-year-old were laughing, sharing about their day, and discussing my youngest son’s card trades he made with the neighbor kid.

Then, I surprised myself – instead of the urge to hurry everyone to bed, I felt my heart and mind still.

This. Moment.

This love in the room.

This shared feeling of connecting and belonging.

This is why I grade papers and work so darn hard in my career – to help financially provide for these little (not-so-little) humans. This is why I taxi them around to activities – to give them opportunities to grow their talents and create a community of friends that surround them. This is why I continually clean the house, make dinner, and almost always say yes to friends coming over – to provide them with a safe, enjoyable place to come home to every night.

All the busyness – it’s for them. So, if I don’t pause to collect the small sacred moments in my day, why do I do it?

So, I sat on the floor right next to the bed. My Goldendoodle came over and nestled against me. I stroked her fur, listened to my boys’ chatter, and let my heart feel joy. I soaked in the love in the room.

And felt the joy of being a mother.

If I can spend 7 hours at work, 3 hours shuffling boys around, and 100 hours cleaning/cooking/finding-my-cell-phone-charger, I can take 5 minutes to remember the reason I mom so hard. I can stop for 5 minutes to enjoy this life that I’m living with the people I love so much.

That 5 minutes of pause gave me joy that will last much longer.  

Mom life really is very, very good.

Read the Full Build-Your-Faith-Through-Everyday-Momlife Series

Elijah’s my favorite. Elijah’s the Old Testament Prophet. He went head-to-head with the Baal prophets to show who the One True God was. (Read more about that here.)

This man who experience God’s supernatural power, later found himself in complete despair, with shaken faith, depressed and anxious, trying to hear God’s voice. (Have you been there too?) 1 Kings 19:11-13 says:

“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

When Elijah looked for God, he found Him. And God’s voice wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire – it was in a gentle whisper.

Momma’s, God still speaks to us today. It’s deep inside of you, an inner knowing. I’d love for you to join me as I learn to discern that voice smack in the middle of my ordinary days. 

Read more in the faith-building stories:

Growing Your Faith: Imperfect Faith is STILL Faith
Momma, is God is More Control of Your Life Than You Think?
Tired Parents, You are Beautifully Exhausted
This is How I Hear God Speak Through Motherhood

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