The Ministry of Mothering

The other day, as I was gently wrestling 8 month-old Isaiah's nine arms to suck the snot out of his wiggly nose before putting him to bed, I tried to convince him this was for his own good, telling him, "You'll thank me later." But then it struck me, I'm 35 years-old and I've never thanked my mom for sucking the snot out of my nose.

This morning, Angie came downstairs with perfect double french braids, and I silently praised the Lord that I taught her to braid her own hair so early on, or I should say, taught her to watch Youtube videos and learn how to braid her own hair. I never thanked my mom for all the French braiding in the days before Youtube either...

I never thanked her for the endless shuttle service to and from practices and games, night after night, weekend after weekend. And she did it without ever telling me how she had other things she could be doing, as I too often remind Angie when she's particularly ungrateful for my time spent taxiing her. 

I can't remember thanking her for all those meals she slaved over, and the foods she likely gave up for decades to keep us picky kids from complaining. Now, in her shoes, I can barely breathe some days, paralyzed by the fact that these people in my house want to eat 3 meals every day!!

I know I've never mentioned my gratitude for the over 3,650 times she probably changed my dirty diapers. Honestly, I've never even thought to feel gratitude for that.

I took for granted the never ending laundry to keep us presentable, the agonizing school projects to keep us from failing, the grocery shopping to keep us healthy and growing, the budgeting to keep us afloat, the awesome snacks to keep us energized, content, and knowing we were loved.

I doubt I ever once thanked her for praying with me at bedtime all those years. She surely doesn't know how much it meant to me to see her reading her Bible and journaling all the time.

In my last blog post, I wrote to adoptive parents and said this:

"I believe in the ministry you're doing 24 hours every day, I believe it is the most holistic ministry anyone can do. And because you probably haven't heard it enough, Thank You. Thank you for serving with your whole self, ALL the time, with no end coming."

And the same can be said to biological parents. The only job that lasts longer than adopting a child is birthing one, because it starts sooner but lasts just as long; forever.

I have a dear friend about to have her fifth child and she's feeling the weight and length of parenting. She's recognizing the sacrifices she'll be continuing to make and the ministry she'll be missing out on while she doesn't have the margin to lead Bible studies, serve in homeless shelters, or do missions around the world or in her community.

But what she can't fully see is the impact of the ministry she's doing right now. Moms, your job is the most full-time ministry anyone could ever do. Those little disciples you're raising will change the world, and every day you influence whether they'll change it for the better. Teaching them to be brave and kind in the face of bullies will change their schools. Giving them chores around the house, money to spend, save, and give, and expectations now will help them change their workplaces later. Demonstrating repsect, patience, forgivness, and fun in your marriage, will impact their families when they're grown. Training up those kiddos to love their enemies is the best thing anyone could do to fight terrorism. 

Mom, thank you for...well, EVERYTHING! Living and loving like Jesus day in and day out.

And mamas, you may not be honored with volunteer banquets now, but the cumulative effect of all the tedious tasks will be incredible! There are no vacations, few restroom breaks, and no salary, but your service is soooo invaluable.