So What Are you Doing Today?

By Amy Ford

My husband and I were engaged in our daily, “So, what are you doing today?” phone conversation, and I rattled off my list of the usual chores before summarizing, “You know, a dozen other things that will take up my entire day, which no one will ever notice.”  The words escaped faster than I could consciously compile them.  As mothers, we know what that list looks like: organizing cabinets whose doors no longer close, changing printer cartridges, laundry, mail, diapers, dusting, the meal preparation, good golly, the meal preparation!  An endless busy progression of nothings.

The day continued, with the addition of phone calls and texts and an impromptu play date.  Three diaper changes and two time-outs later, it was 1:30 and I had neither eaten lunch nor accomplished most of my original to-do list.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

Go back and read that again.  My guess is that familiarity led you to scan right over it.  Meditate on it for a few minutes before proceeding.  Humor me.

Mothering can be a thankless job, mainly because the ones we work with either cannot talk yet, or we are teaching them how to be thankful.  It doesn’t mean as much when you are instructing your child to say thank you.  Gummy grins and sticky-fingered hugs are nice, but don’t always come at the right time.  More than that, though, it often feels like a fruitless job, more sowing, watering, and pruning than reaping.  We see others out conquering the world, but have a hard time seeing our own effectiveness past the laundry pile.

Our perspectives must change to break out of the cycle: our definition of “doing good” must change.  What had I really done that day, from a Kingdom viewpoint?  I’d played Bo Peep to my son’s Cowboy Judah and let him find my sheep, giving him attention he thrives on; I’d comforted my daughter through teething pain, creating a sense of nurturing; I’d encouraged one friend and helped another get a break to take care of herself; I’d planned a meeting for other women to facilitate growth in their own spiritual journeys.  Perhaps from God’s perspective, I had conquered a little piece of the world.

Mothering is not fruitless, it’s just that the fruit takes proper time to fully ripen.  In our busy progression of nothings, it is easy to miss that all of those little things we do create an environment of growth for our families and our neighbors.  So, carry on, my good woman.  We may never see the extent of the fruit of our labor, but we can trust God when He tells us it is there.

As for me, I’m going to hunker down and get ready for round two.

How do you keep perspective during your days that seem like a “busy progression of nothings”?

Amy Ford is a native Nashvillian, recovering middle school teacher, now stay-at-home mom to two. When not looking for a bathroom for the three year-old or a place to feed the baby, she enjoys writing, women’s ministry, and people-watching with her husband.