4-11-12 It Matters

I’m not sure why, but Saturday morning found me pondering a few truths that I’d like to share, specifically with the young moms who read this blog. I pondered quite a bit about quite a lot of things, but I don’t want this to become long and rambly. *sigh* Which I’m kind of good at doing. I’ll try real hard to keep it short.

I’ll start with the events of Saturday. Review Kate’s Monday post about Saturday here if you’ve forgotten.

For the first time this year, Tim had all three older boys home this past Saturday, and he had this day well planned in advance. Since we girls had just a few kitchen jobs to do, and since it was a beautiful sunny day, we scrapped the spring cleaning (oh yes, there are cooler days coming, all right) and headed out to help. Now, maybe it wasn’t that obvious in the px of the day, but there really was about nothing we girls (and Josh) could do to help. I suppose I could have dragged my girls and Josh back in the house and cleaned out a few closets or cupboards, and we could have had a productive day, but I didn’t choose to do that. No, I joined everyone outside, camera in hand, and thoroughly enjoyed watching all the activity and excitement of a Saturday.

This exciting Saturday morning activity has been happening for…oh, about 15 years now (ever since we moved here to the farm), but today there was a difference. The difference today (and recent days too, but today I was just chewing on it) is that I was outside with everyone else.

Is that noteworthy?

To some readers it wouldn’t be.

But to the young mom who feels like her life is rather controlled by the needs of her little ones and primarily contained within the four walls of her house, it is noteworthy. Because her life IS rather controlled by the needs of her little ones and she IS primarily contained within the four walls of her house.

Here’s the thing. For the last 19 years, the vast majority of my Saturdays have spent inside with little ones while Tim and the older children did the “big, important” (and fun!) things, like making fence, moving cattle, repairing buildings, mowing, gardening, hauling manure, chopping wood, and so on. Now, granted, I don’t suspect I’ll be hurrying to help haul manure anytime soon, but I do enjoy being outside on a beautiful day just as much as everyone else does! And I suspect most moms feel that way too, as cabin fever is fairly common among us mamas. Well, since my baby is three now, and can hardly stand to be inside when Daddy’s outside, today I was outside with everyone else. And I do mean everyone. I make no claim to know how often everyone will be here working together, as nineteen and seventeen year olds have a way of being very busy away from the homeplace, but even if those two are elsewhere, I do foresee myself being outside with everyone else a lot more. And that just made me stop and think a little bit. Not that I chaffed at being inside nursing babies or wiping noses or bottoms (oh, but I know at times I did), because I immensely enjoyed that oh-so-brief baby stage, but the world and satan want to tell us moms that what we’re doing is not important, that cleaning the house is menial, that potty-training is horrid (well it’s not really that fun but it’s certainly not horrid), that taking care of babies isn’t as important as other things like teaching, lawyering, doctoring, accounting, etc. The message from our society, in general, is that motherhood isn’t a respectable career, that we are “wasting our time” being home with our children, that all the “important things” in life (whatever that is deemed to be) happen AWAY from home, that we moms should desire a “real” career once our kids are grown…. and on and on and on…..

Ohhhhh but our society is oh so wrong.

You, dear mama, are doing a VERY IMPORTANT job; and motherhood is an extremely respectable career. Motherhood matters.

It may not have the pay that other careers do, there may be no earthly prestige to it, and it certainly isn’t very glamorous; but nevertheless, it matters. It matters because the little lives that are regularly draining you of your energy and sleep :) are eternal souls that will one day (a short 100 years or so from now) be living on - - - in eternal paradise or eternal damnation.  Oh yes, it matters! 

As you are daily, hourly, minutely, and constantly, consistently, cheerfully investing your time, energy, prayers, enthusiasm, and talents in those little souls, take heart: one day in the all-too-soon future, you too will be outside with your man and everyone else….still investing, ever investing, always investing…but no longer confined to the four walls of your home. Your years of selfless investment will reap bountiful showers of blessings.

But until then - - - please - - - purpose in your heart to enjoy your career, celebrate your career, rejoice in your career, in the four wonderful walls of your wonderful home - - - - - -

Because - - - -

IT MATTERS.

 

Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galatians 6:10