I love being a dad and a dad of daughters at that. And the joy of grandparenting is the icing on the cake. When we are with our daughters, their husbands, and their four kids, however, I am often reminded of the work, stress, and busyness that fills the lives of young parents.
This article should include a picture of children and since I’m the author, I get to choose—you guessed it, my eight grandchildren. I’ll prove I’m a grandpa and shamelessly post their picture from this summer when they were together.
Today, I came across a recent article, “Eternities in Little Moments: What Gives Motherhood Its Glory.” I forwarded it to our daughters to encourage them in the trenches of daily parenthood. I share it here for the encouragement of other parents and a reminder to all of us to pray for young families.
The author, Monica Geyen, was an attorney who gave that up to stay at home as a mother of five. She wrote:
“Moms often measure their lives by the opportunities outside of the home they say no to. Regularly, we say no to serving more in ministry or taking on more hospitality. We say no to opportunities to grow or use our gifts. We say no to free-time activities because our time is not free. In the midst of every no, we can forget to count the yeses in motherhood — perhaps because what we say yes to is impossible to measure.
Glory fills the way we wipe up a banana lathered on the floor — and how we talk about it. Glory spills over in how we prize misshapen airplanes and smiling stick figures. Glory shines behind our eyes that pause, gaze into our children’s, and enter into their stories, ready to show them the way of the King. During these ordinary moments, I sometimes imagine a great cloud of witnesses in heaven celebrating because God, through one small act of a mother’s faithfulness, breathed life into a child. Mothers are operating a rescue mission outside the very gates of hell — one banana, one stick figure, one story at a time. Sometimes, we just don’t know it.
As we stumble through seemingly mundane days, God has a word for mothers who question the eternity-shaping ministry he has given: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:15). Though the apostle Paul did not specifically have mothers in mind, few preach the gospel to our children if not us… Preaching the gospel is not one to-do item on a mother’s endless list. It applies eternal eyes to earthly days. It takes on a life in the home that sees gold mines hidden deep within the sticky brown grime that seems to have become part of the dining table. Our mission takes place in small moments that build into larger ones, all of them becoming something glorious.”
Here’s a link to the entire article, which is worth reading.
There is no higher calling than parenthood. Dealing with COVID has made it even more stressful. But, the rewards are eternal. Be encouraged, moms and dads. God is using your love, your hard work, your teaching, and your praying to impact the next generation for eternity and to grow your faith in the process.“
I’m praying for God’s great perseverance, grace, and peace as you trust Him in the daily trenches of parenthood.