Big Things, Little Things.....

I've been reading a wonderful, wonderful book called "Diapers, Pacifiers and other Holy Things" by Lorraine Pintus. It's really taught me a lot as a mother to a preschooler and a 7 year old.

One of the things that stood out with me was the chapter entitled "Big Things, Little Things".
She starts by telling us that as a mother, one of the most inspiring verses in the Bible is Luke 19:17. It says, "Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities."

To me it translates as "If you faithfully do the small annoying chores that you encounter as a mother, you will be greatly rewarded in the end."

Little things matter to God. Yeah, how true is that??? If only I could keep reminding myself the next time I have to clean a mess, turn around and clean it again, and then yet again 5 minutes later at which point I'm ready to just throw my hands up in the air and scream "That's IT, I've had it and from now on YOU guys clean it up." But what Lorraine has taught me is that every little thing matters.

If your motive is right, even nose wiping can result in eternal rewards.

How truly amazing and shocking is that??? All these years I've been resentful at some of the little things that I had to do. Some of them were truly annoying and I found myself cringing everytime I had to pick up YET another toy, clean up a mess YET again just minutes after I had finished doing it.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23,24

So at the end of the chapter, she gives us what she calls "Time Out". This is a list of 3 things, well more like questions that we need to answer ourselves and work on.

• Motive is everything. Before doing anything, ask yourself "Why am I doing this? For whom am I doing this? Would this please Jesus?"
• Have you ever told a friend "I'll pray for you" but failed to do it? Do you copy personal items on the photocopier at work? Do you exaggerate your charitable contributions on your income tax form? Name three "little things" in which you find yourself tempted to be dishonest. As God to keep you faithful.
• Look up faithful in the dictionary. What does it mean? Why does God want to build faithfulness in us? Whom do we emulate when we are faithful?

I've loved this chapter, it's taught me so much about how I see my role as a mother.....and actually, it can be applied to a lot of other aspects of my life, the way I see myself as a wife, as a homemaker, as a friend.
Yes I know a lot of you would rather turn away from admitting that you do the same thing, that you take the little things for granted, or even worse, like me, that you resent them at times.
Not me, I did at one point, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I have faults, that I sometimes stumble around like a toddler just learning to walk, that I don't know the answers to everything, that even after two kids and 8 years of motherhood there are days I have NO clue what I'm doing.
The first step to fixing something is to admit it right???

Well here I am, being totally honest and upfront with each and everyone of you.
I think I will start sharing every chapter as I move through this book, who knows, maybe it will inspire another mom (or non mom) to take a closer look at their lives and the way they deal with it.

We all know that as mothers, there are millions of little things that drive us crazy, day in and day out, I mean really, who other than a mother is entrusted with all these little details and mindless frustrating chores?
My list usually consists of:

Get up, dress the kids, feed them breakfast
Wash dishes, sweep the floor and mop
Make the beds, feed the pets, clean the living room
Put away the toys, put them away again, and yet again, and yet again
Give them a snack and remind them not to eat in the living room
Watch as the little one spins in a circle while squeezing the juice pouch
Clean up the living room YET again
Repeat and then repeat again......

After a full day of this, I get into bed, open the Bible and say "Dear Lord" and that's usually as far as I get, because I'm exhausted and I tend to fall asleep before I even read a chapter. You may be wondering where I found the time to read this book then?
Ahhh let me tell you the secret......Oh I've become smart the past few weeks, I take the Bible and the book into the bathroom with me, yes, go ahead and turn your noses up and act disgusted, a woman desperate does whatever it takes.

So next time you have to clean up a mess (yet again), wipe a runny nose, cook another meal or do another load of laundry, remember that the little things matter, maybe not to us, but they certainly do to God. Do it with a smile and rejoice in the fact that He is keeping track of it all.

I hope you have a blessed Saturday and may it be FULL of "little things."