A pile of dirty diapers. The endless filling of sippy cups. Wiping up crumbs leftover from humble family meals served on an ordinary kitchen table. Simple books recited by memory to eager ears. The same familiar songs sung without accompaniment to little bodies snug in child-sized beds.
Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh
Motherhood can get monotonous. Kids thrive on routine, we’re told. So day in and day out, from sun up to sun down (and then some), a mom goes through the motions of meeting the needs of her children. Recently I learned in a sermon that God warned the prophet Zechariah not to despise the day of small things. (Zechariah 4:10) He cast a vision for the glory of the temple that would be rebuilt, even though it didn’t look like much at the time. We’re tempted to overlook small things as insignificant. But God says they matter. Faithful obedience in the small things can have an eternal impact.
God is nigh.
When you’re hanging onto your last nerve, God is nigh. When the only people you’ve talked to all day barely speak your language, God is nigh. When you’ve followed through on discipline, when it would have been easier to raise a white flag, God is nigh.
He sees the implications of your faithfulness when all you see is another mundane Monday. He knows every life that those grubby toddler hands will one day touch. He hears your tired, worried, desperate, and hopeful prayers and weaves an answer you may not fully see in your lifetime, but serves His purpose. He is near, walking with you, leading you along the path.
My husband is a budding gardener (pun intended). I don’t really participate, as I have my hands full keeping five kids alive, thank you very much, but I have observed the process. A gardener must trust in the potential of a seed to bear fruit, whether a beautiful flower or a consumable food. He must make the environment suitable for growth. He must protect the plant from elements and pests that would destroy it. He must keep a watchful eye on it and make adjustments to keep it supported until it is full-grown. How much more does a mother have to tend to her child (or a whole crop of them), not just for a season of a few months, but for many seasons over many years?
Not only does the child grow, but so does the mother. The small things do a magnificent work in growing a mother. In the beginning, you may feel very unsure, unprepared, or unqualified. But as you press on, you grow in confidence, and add wisdom to your years. This is how you become Real, according to The Velveteen Rabbit. “‘Real isn’t how you’re made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you…It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time.” And one day, you may find yourself to be a grandmother, or even a great-grandmother. And a lucky few will live see great-great-grandchildren. For the rest of your days, you’ll be on your journey of motherhood. It changes over time, but you’ll always hold a special place of influence in your child’s heart, just as they have a special place in yours.
Consider that God is working into you, the fruit of His Spirit, in the day of small things. Love – giving yourself fully to the good of another. Joy – satisfaction that transcends circumstance. Peace – stillness of the soul. Patience – bearing with one another. Kindness – esteeming others as worthy. Goodness – wholesome and pure. Faithfulness – showing up day after day, even when it’s hard. Gentleness – in touch, speech, and intention. Self-control – refraining from your first impulse for what is better.
Middle-of-the-night feedings, the eternal laundry cycle, settling sibling squabbles, listening to a new reader sounding out e-v-e-r-y other word of a 5 page book, tending to illness and injuries, fixing hair, mending clothes, toys, and books, holding fast through the swirling tempest of toddler tantrums or teen angst, setting up camp for another day at the ball field, shuttling across town for a myriad of appointments and activities, meal planning, prep, and clean up, waiting up for a teen to come home… Wherever you find yourself in the day of small things, take heart in knowing that it’s not in vain and it’s not forever. Stay the course, Mama. Good things are ahead.
