Unseen

Hello readers! Today’s topic applies to anyone, but this week, I’ve been particularly burdened for my fellow mamas—and I have to ask you a tough question:

Do you ever feel unseen?

I know I sure do, and I’ve especially struggled with this lately. Life has turned into a busy and predictable fixed routine. With speech therapy three days a week and all the other weekly necessaries that must get done, our days are pretty well planned out. And it’s the same thing every week.

As moms, we certainly know what that’s like—all day, every day, it’s a never-ending list of wash, rinse, and repeat.

I suppose you can say the same for most any job, yet many of the tasks of a mom aren’t inherently exciting: fixing meals, cleaning up meals, doing laundry, putting said laundry away (most of the time), doing it again before you turn around, picking up toys, breaking up fights, kissing boo boos, etc. etc. etc.

The steady hum of this routine has lulled me into a bit of staleness, and the enemy has used it to worm his way into my heart with his same old tired lies. None of these lies are new, so it’s been quite the reminder that we must be ever-vigilant when it comes to dwelling on the truth of who God is and who we are in Him. The Christian walk isn’t a “one and done” thing, unfortunately!

Uncovering the Lies

This week, I began a new bible study—Experiencing God—and in just one short lesson, God has shaken me up and gotten my attention (Praise Him!). With gentle conviction, He revealed how I’d unwittingly fallen yet again into the trap of thinking that, because what I do is quiet, routine, and sometimes monotonous, it therefore isn’t important.

That these quiet days can’t be exciting days.

That they can’t be used by God in big ways.

That they are unseen and thus somehow less important.

The enemy loves to whisper his version of sweet nothings into my ear: If only you were going to work at a hospital like Aaron, then your days would be important and meaningful. Then you could have an impact.

Isn’t it amazing how we can believe such things while not even consciously aware of the fact? Yet our beliefs determine our actions and our attitudes. So it wasn’t any wonder that I felt tired, flat, and distanced from God in recent weeks.

Instead of beginning each day with fresh expectancy of what God had planned, I viewed my scheduled days with fatigue. And rather than opening up my palms and saying, Lord, what is Your will for me this day? I simply assumed I knew everything there was to know about the day ahead.

I didn’t see God working in big and exciting ways because I wasn’t giving Him room to work. God longs to dazzle us, yet we must bring the full force of faith in order to be dazzled.

You Are Seen

Dear friends, if you—like me—are in need of a reminder, then let me shout it out to you in love: you are seen! You are loved. Your daily, monotonous tasks on behalf of your children, family, and loved ones are seen and recorded by your Heavenly Father. Absolutely nothing escapes His vision!

And all that hard, hamster wheel-like work that you do on a daily basis?

It matters!! It matters in the here and now, and it matters in eternity. Motherhood is often referred to as a “high and holy calling,” and it most certainly is—high, holy, and hard as the dickens some days.

Genesis 16 tells us the story of another mother who once felt unseen—unseen, unloved, unappreciated, and downright oppressed. As Hagar fled from her circumstances, verse 7 says that The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert (NIV).

God called Hagar to return to her difficult circumstances, but not before He blessed her and the child in her womb. In verse 13, she gives us one of my favorite names of God:

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NIV).

The same is true today for you and for me.

The same God who saw and blessed Hagar sees us and stands ready to bless us as well—provided we walk in His truth and His will for us, no matter how challenging or repetitive or stressful or quiet it may be in a given season.

Moving Forward in Joy

Sweet, fellow mamas, the entire point of this post is to encourage you to keep going and to ask God to reveal the lies you’ve been believing about your own motherhood journey. I pray that He will give you fresh, new eyes to see the importance and depth and weight of your calling.

If you’re feeling tired and run down and underappreciated and overworked—know that we serve a God who sees us and loves us. Even if your days are fixed and play out like a scene from Benji (e.g. the same scene of the same dog running in the same way), don’t ever forget that He has a will and a plan for each day of your life, and your work matters a tremendous amount.

Our biggest call as Christians is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19 NIV)—and our children are our foremost, important future disciples! The progress is so slow … but like water cutting a path through rock, one day our eyes will behold the results.

So stay strong, mamas! Keep the faith, persevere through the mundane and the highs of parenting, and cherish those precious little ones entrusted to your care for a time. And because we’re all in this together, let’s not forget to encourage one another along the way by being generous with our words and support.

As you embrace the wonder of loving and shepherding your children, may the Holy Spirit breathe fresh inspiration, joy, and pep into your step!