Maybe you’ve seen a quote by Rachel Jankovic:
“Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.” (Motherhood is a Calling, and Where Your Children Rank)
I have it framed, sitting on my bathroom cabinet. I see it every day. But I don’t think the full impact of it has really sunk it until now.
The last sentence…“It is what God gave you time for.” packs a meaningful punch. One that we too often fail to really grasp.
If I’m not careful, I can let my children irritate, frustrate and aggravate me into being a really awful mother. But if I look closely, the things that bother me most often are just part of parenting, part of taking time to help little people learn to grow up–the very thing God gave me time for.
But if we’re busy with other pursuits, our children and all their needs become a peripheral endeavor, easily “bothersome” to my schedule or agenda.
But these children ARE my agenda! In the tiniest moments of the day they are learning and I am teaching. Everything from teaching them how to stir a pot of spaghetti sauce without splashing it to helping them develop important habits of character and ultimately to showing them their desperate need of a Savior because they can’t just “be good”, is my most important job as I act as helper to my husband and keeper of my home.
But as I get it, as I say “no” to the pursuits that are not my first responsibility and I focus my attention, time and effort into guiding, training and teaching these little sheep of mine, it changes my response, gives me more patience and my work becomes a joy, even amid the sacrifice and struggles.
In this short season of mothering, I am committing anew to slow down and take time to tend this flock of mine. To love them, to teach them the gospel by patiently showing them my daily need of a Savior and theirs, of the One who forgives again and again and wipes the slate clean each day; both my sins and theirs. It’s what God gave me time for.
22 comments
I wish I didn’t need as many reminders about this as I do. Ouch, and thank you.
Me too, 6 arrows. What’s worse, when I post something like this my day seems to get exponentially challenging…(“Let’s see what you got”, says God.) 😀
LOL! I hear ya. 😉 Saturday wasn’t a good day, and I promised to do better on Sunday with handling irritation — going to church helps mellow me out. (Well, usually.)
So six of us pile in our car after church, and it’s not even five minutes and I’m ranting at the kid next to me for just being a kid. Groan. You know it’s bad when everybody in the vehicle goes silent, and you know eyebrows are up and jaws are down, even though you’re not looking at them, lol!
Yes, God says to me, too, “Let’s see what you got”. 🙂
Thank you SO very much for this post.
I was “that mom” today:
Irritated (and subsequently unkind) by my kids just. being. kids. And the reason? Once again I forgot they are not hindering me from my work they ARE MY WORK, as you shared so well.
OH, Lord Jesus that You would change me so radically that I see the people in my home highlighted in neon yellow and all the lesser things shaded in grey. That I would remember every day that, in Your economy, it is always, ever and ever, “the people before the place.”
in Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Praise God for grace!
“His mercies are new every morning.”
Looking forward to abiding in the Vine tomorrow and producing the fruit of love in my home!!!
God bless all us mamas with HIS heart for our kids,
Laura
Laura–beautiful prayer!!
Great thoughts, Laura, and I love your prayer! Praying that one this morning. 🙂
Thank you, thank you! from another mommy of ten who just needed a little refresher. :)This goes on my bathroom wall today. God bless you and congratulations on the new baby!…snuggle and enjoy…babies help us older moms get to sit down and slow down. 🙂
So glad it is encouraging to you! Thank you! And yes, it’s true that slowing down part 😉
Thanks for another timely reminder, Kelly. The hard part for me is finding the balance. So many of the “pursuits” that seem to take me away from my children are things I’m doing FOR them, i.e. preparing for the coming school year, doing laundry, etc. Praying for wisdom to know when to do what!
This is possibly the best post I have read on this blog. How perfectly true. We need our Savior for every moment of every day. Our true calling is growing and training this next generation, not that our only identity as a woman is in being a mother, but it is our priority. Thank you!
Thank you for this post! I think as mom’s we get in that way just because sometimes we fill so many roles in our families life and these kind of gentle reminders from our sisters in Christ are just what we need. Kind of like a pep talk from a coach! Let me tell you there are so many days I read your posts and just say man I wish she could come for a cup of coffee and some yummy treats, I love your wisdom!
Amber–Don’t tempt me with coffee and sweets 😉 I’m a sucker.
Thank you so much for the reminder and the encouragement…. instead of being frustrated with how little I can accomplish with 3 children ages 3 and under, I must see them as my primary ‘job’ and take each moment to train and love.
Great one! Mine are grown and gone. Wish I had this info when I was blazing a way back to motherhood. I guess I did okay, but could have used this type of support! 🙂
May I reblog with a link? Thanks!
Katharine,
You are more than welcome to copy an excerpt and link back. Thanks!
Thank you for the reminder!
I really needed to hear this today! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have become consumed with selling online to be able to purchase various books we need/want for the upcoming school year. It’s a perfect example of allowing good things to take the place of the best things. It can become very addictive. How is Kaid doing? Are you getting any stretches of sleep? Would love to hear when you are able so we can be praying. Also, do you know when the introductory price of the new ebook, Overwhelmed, ends?
Claudia,
So glad it encouraged you!
Kaid is doing wonderfully, although not sleeping quite as much as I would prefer. But, I’m always amazed at how a nursing mother can have so much stamina during the day, despite her sleep deprivation. Must be something God built in 😉
The intro price ends Friday.
[…] Motherhood: It’s What God Gave You Time For […]
Kelly –
We all need reminders like this. I found myself getting caught in that rut where I feel like I’m doing 20 million things at once and just don’t have the time for _____. When my 7 yr old looked at me and said “Mommy don’t you love me anymore.” That was the day I realized that I was putting things before the children God gave me to raise. That was also the day I backed off of so many things. I realized we are all happier when I put the kids before the work. And surprisingly enough I am realizing that the work is actually getting done quicker & much easier than while I was struggling to “do-it-all” and pushing the kids to the back burner. Funny how that works isn’t it?
[…] taken from Motherhood: It’s What God Gave You Time For by Kelly Crawford of Generation Cedar. When my oldest son was 2 years old, I swore he would never […]
[…] Make room for life. If our schedules are too busy, we will be tempted to stay in a state of rushing and consequently, irritation at every “problem.” Life with children is full of meeting needs and when we don’t make time for them, the needs feel like burdens. Motherhood is what God gives us time for. […]