I remember thinking that I was never going to start “living my life” when my boys were really little. I was drowning in diapers, night wakings, tears, and the constant reminder that I was not enough. Heck, I’m still drowning in diapers, tears, constant grabs for my attention, and night wakings but my perspective has changed in 6 years.
Maybe you have felt this way too. Maybe you feel that you are drowning in your efforts to keep little ones alive. You question why you are doing this. You wonder when “will your life begin” (Thanks Tangled) and you just don’t feel like you are enough. Enough for God, for your husband, for your kids, for yourself, and everyone else around you. You question God if you honestly matter especially when it looks like everyone else has their life together and living their dream lives.
Dear Mama, You Matter.
The work you are doing matters, not just for this moment in time but for the generations that are to follow.
“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” –William Ross Wallace
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That’s great, you might be thinking, “But I’m lonely. No one understands. My circumstances are different. I’m exhausted. I’ve tried to have a better look at motherhood but it’s so hard. Everyone was right, I shouldn’t have had kids so young. All my friends are having the time of their lives. Others make it look easy but I’m barely surviving the day-to-day. How can I possibly believe in my core that I matter and what I’m doing matters?”
You don’t.
At least not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. It will take some work, it will be painful, and it will require pushing past the social norms of motherhood and seeking deeper. It requires a humble heart turned to God asking what to do next and pleading for his help.
But at some point, you have to choose to believe it. To believe that you matter and what you are doing matters. Yes, even the changing of diapers matters.
“In the midst of the mundane tasks of laundry, cleaning, cooking meals, and bathing children, we often forget how incredibly important the task of motherhood truly is. God has entrusted us with lives to steward. We are responsible for the growth and education of these little lives that have the ability to flourish into world changers. Our children are the future of our culture. This generation will face many battles, and God has given us the job of preparing them for combat. No meal, clean house, or blog article is more important than mothering your precious children. ” Sally Clarkson (see her article here)