I was once again reminded that I am not recording enough of our "todays," mostly because I feel there is nothing special enough to record. Days frequently roll by, several at a time, without anything exciting or memorable in them. I find that I am not praying enough. I don't take enough pictures. I don't pay attention enough. I waste too much time. I let my moments slip by and I am not fully present. Yet these are the days that I will look back on for the rest of my life. Lately, I feel like I just maintain and tumble along, with no rhyme or reason.
I want my days to have a reason. I need to wake up every morning and remember that I have a goal. My goal is to do Everything to the glory of God my Father. I need to live with purpose and intention. I need to be present, not distracted and unfocused. Every diaper I change, every dish I wash, every story I tell and smoothie I make, all of them matter. IF I am doing them to the glory of God. If I am not, those diaper changes are annoying battles with a squirming toddler. Those dishes become never ending piles of things I just have to deal with. I won't have time for stories because the laundry needs to be folded so that I can make the bed and get dinner started. That smoothie becomes a frustrating last resort in a long afternoon of picky eating. Everything starts to smoosh together in one long stream of mundane, seemingly similar days.
Unless, everything I put my hand to is done as a service unto the Lord. It is not just a "regular old day." It is one more day that I have to serve my heavenly Father, one more day that I have been given with my family. One more day to make a difference.
Today Matters. And I spent much of my afternoon impatiently fighting with my toddler.
Father, please forgive me for my lack of presence. Forgive me for just completing tasks, instead of serving You. Please fill my heart with gratitude and my heart and mind with purpose please give me the strength and discipline that I need to be the woman, mother and wife that you have called me to be.
I want my days to have a reason. I need to wake up every morning and remember that I have a goal. My goal is to do Everything to the glory of God my Father. I need to live with purpose and intention. I need to be present, not distracted and unfocused. Every diaper I change, every dish I wash, every story I tell and smoothie I make, all of them matter. IF I am doing them to the glory of God. If I am not, those diaper changes are annoying battles with a squirming toddler. Those dishes become never ending piles of things I just have to deal with. I won't have time for stories because the laundry needs to be folded so that I can make the bed and get dinner started. That smoothie becomes a frustrating last resort in a long afternoon of picky eating. Everything starts to smoosh together in one long stream of mundane, seemingly similar days.
Unless, everything I put my hand to is done as a service unto the Lord. It is not just a "regular old day." It is one more day that I have to serve my heavenly Father, one more day that I have been given with my family. One more day to make a difference.
Today Matters. And I spent much of my afternoon impatiently fighting with my toddler.
Father, please forgive me for my lack of presence. Forgive me for just completing tasks, instead of serving You. Please fill my heart with gratitude and my heart and mind with purpose please give me the strength and discipline that I need to be the woman, mother and wife that you have called me to be.
Hi, Ruth! I've been a reader off and on for a while now, and just decide to begin following you publicly. We have a mutual friend, Amanda Hartje (though she has a long, new last name now). I remember clicking on your Facebook profile after I saw you post on hers because your last name caught my eye (my son's name is Abel). I went to church with Amanda for years, and her family is dear to my heart. I really lost touch with Amanda when I went away to school.
ReplyDeleteI decided I wanted to be reading more regularly because your last post really hit me. I could have written it! I'm so thankful for a God that allows us to begin anew every day, when we served ourselves or were filled with laziness the day before. I pray we both see His grace in our lives as moms, and even in the small mundane things, bring Him glory.