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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Job well done!


 Yesterday was the first day of daylight savings time. It is absolutely crazy to me that one little hour change can totally rock my world. Like... I wanted to nap ALL DANG DAY. I'm going to blame it on the baby.. because, well, she can't defend herself. **Speaking of baby!** I video'd her yesterday because you can see her move from the outside of my belly now! I'd share the video but my belly button looks like the end of a hot dog at the moment and that's just oversharing.. even for me.

So the point being that bed time for the kiddos could not come soon enough. I put dinner on the table at 5 o'clock on the dot, because, hello... that is like when the worship team comes to the stage during the sermon "THE END IS NEAR". After we ate, and cleaned up, and fed the dog and the bunnies and watered our plants, and took a bath, brushed our teeth, got on pajamas and read our bible (tired yet?) I was literally scooting the kids into their rooms like a snow plow. I told them both to go to their beds and I would be right there. I had a second to myself downstairs in the kitchen before the always-drawn-out process of goodnight salutations, and blessings, and kisses, and "I'm thirsties", and stories I have to tell you right now about a caterpillar from two weeks ago.

In the quickness of that moment, I heard God's voice. As our Pastor said this past Sunday... God is ALWAYS talking, we just have to listen. Sometimes I hear a quick snippet from God but I'm too busy, I'm too distracted, I'm too focused. All too often, I convince myself that it is just one of the voices in my head (yes, there are many) and I move on. This time though, I didn't.

My prayer to God daily is "make my day count" and "give me joy in the mundane". When my head hits the pillow at night, I usually overlook the answered prayers and just think I'll try again tomorrow.   I'm so tired of feeling like a day was "wasted" or insignificant, so I decided NOT THIS TIME. God said, "Celebrate the small. You ask for your days to be magnificent, and they ARE. But you just don't give them the attention they deserve. I've answered your prayers."

Both kiddos had told me about something they were super excited about that day. Sienna got "presidential" on both the running and the sit-and-reach tests for physical fitness in P.E. class and Titus walked on the "tiny balance beam" in tumbling class that's really hard when he normally does "the baby one". Those tasks seemed trivial, of course, when I have blinders on to what a "successful day" looks like in the adult world. However, to my babies, my 4 and 7 year old, whom are God's greatest gifts that He has leant to me as one of my life's greatest missions and purposes for His kingdom and glory, view these accomplishments as acts of grander. I don't know about you but sometimes it would be nice to stand at a sink full of dishes with a commentator behind me clapping and saying "yeah, girl. Wash that dish. Dang you're a good dish washer. BRAVO! You are magnificent!" That would make me feel like what I was doing counted. That would make me realize God has answered my prayers. It is no different for them.

So I yelled out to my little minions.... COME DOWNSTAIRS I HAVE A SURPRISE! I got them each a brownie and announced to each one how proud I was of their accomplishment that day and we clapped and deemed it "a celebration"!!!! They grinned from ear to ear and this ensued...




It all lasted about 5 minutes and then I switched back into GO TO BED mode. Our little celebratory result was just a quick reminder to me that my days are meaningful. My parenting is meaningful. God is answering my prayers. The problem is that we have our own vision of what that will look like. We have our own plan that we need God to play a pawn in. Oh how it doesn't work like that. God isn't a tool to complete my desires or a genie to grant my wish. He is our father, our teacher, our friend. He is molding us to see HIS way not the other way around. He heard my prayer to "give me joy in the mundane" and He answered it, "the joy is there. Are you looking?"

I challenge you today. Let go of what you think is worthy of celebration, and listen to all God is jumping for joy in. He's cheering you on at the sink, at the washing machine, in your cubicle, or car line. Take in that round of applause and return the glory around to Him by gifting that to another one of His children... maybe even your own. ;)



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