On Motherhood :: Working Hard in the Lord

Recently life feels like a bit of a whirlwind. I feel distracted, sleep deprived, sometimes the word delirious comes to mind... from the time the boys wake up in the morning until they go to bed they are busy, busy, busy!  I'm realizing more and more that my 'to do list' is low on the priority list and that changing diapers, comforting a crying child and feeding hungry tummies are priority for me these days... don't get me wrong, i still have grand plans of making birthday cakes, photography/graphic projects, writing emails, and connecting with grown adults... but this is usually how that goes...

   ... start making cake.... leave batter half made on counter... pick up crying baby... decide baby is hungry. feed.  go back to making cake... add one more egg (how many is that now?)... take wooden sword away from toddler before he hits now fed sleeping baby.  start episode of bubble guppies (yes, our kids do watch tv). ask #1 to go use the potty (since he's a little distracted when it comes to sensing the need himself!) take #2 up for a nap. back to cake... finish batter & put in oven... grocery delivery...

   At times the randomness and craziness of it all gets to me, but in general it is a great joy. i think the Lord is helping me to let go of my own agenda to embrace that of working hard at being a mommy. In Romans i love how Paul greets some women at the end of the book, 

"Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.  Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.  Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too."

{Romans 16:12-13}

I think it is interesting how Paul specifically mentions that these women work hard in the Lord... even very hard! And while he doesn't state specifically that their work is related to children, it seems inferred by his next statment - to greet Rufus' mother... who has been a mother to him as well! What a great encouragement this is to me as a mom! I think that not only Paul notices, but that more importantly God notices and values the hard work of moms.  But that 'hard work' doesn't always come naturally, does it? It's tempting to complain about being tired and overwhelmed.

In this regard another huge encouragement to me has been reading the book, Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic. This section on "working hard" has directed my mind, attitude and heart since reading it several months ago...

"Do you spend time not working but tallying the work that you think is too much for you?  ... I had to deal with this because it was easy to get overwhelmed. I can remember telling my husband that i was going to try not to say that anymore, not even to myself. It was time for me to adjust to the work load that God had given me... God loves a cheerful worker. I am still frequently in over my head. Actually, most of the time! But deciding to not wallow in that fact has removed one of the biggest obstacles to my work - my own calculations of how hard the job is."

Our culture is constantly telling us women ~ get back to work... do something meaningful with your life... 

But i am embracing the truth that these children that God has given us, ARE my work. And I am fully convinced that there is no more meaningful work under the sun that raising these little boys to know, love and serve Jesus. And that i can in deed work hard at that in the Lord, all the while loving others around me and showing them Jesus.