Tired of Being Told That It's OK to Do Nothing!

     I'm just going to cut right to it. I am absolutely tired of the posts that give me a million and one excuses as to why I should just sit around and breathe and be happy that at least I'm alive. Not that I shouldn't be glad that I'm alive, but the idea that just doing one thing on my list a day is enough. So, for the rest of the day, I should just sit back, pat myself on the back, and look at my oh-so-lovely children and just sigh, because, after all, isn't this what life is all about? Just soaking up their laughs and giggles? Just looking at them with a tear welling up in my eye and smiling because they're mine? Just, just, just STOP!

     I must admit something before I continue on. I fell into that mindset. You want to know what it did for me? NOT A THING! Well, maybe something. It made this fire well up for me to finally say something about all of this nonsense. Yes, moms need a break. Yes, moms need a rest because we're human just like everyone else. Here's the thing: taking a break and resting connote having worked. Laundry is not the devil. The dishes are not your enemy. Sweeping is not anti-Christ. These chores are tools. Tools to show you who you are. Tools to show you who your children are. Tools that will remind your kids of all you did for them in love. It's much easier to see someone's inner workings by testing them. I do grow tired, physically, of doing these things and teaching my children to do these things as well, but there's a problem when I grow tired, emotionally, of doing these things. Not that this never happens to me. It does, trust me. However, those moments are opportunities for me to assess why I'm doing what I'm doing. If it's out of love then being emotionally tired is my enemy. It's to be fought and not to be given into.

 

"Let us not grow weary in doing good for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." This is a truth that we must reckon within ourselves. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do good for your children. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do good for your husband. Yes, make sure you're healthy and rested. Do not neglect yourself. However, being a mom is hard work. Whoever told you it was easy is clueless. Whoever makes it seem easy is lying to you. 

     Today was a tough mom day. I had to take my 3-year-old to the dentist. He had a follow-up at 8 a.m. from last week because he had an abscess. You want to know what went through my mind? "Everyone is going to think that I'm a horrible mom! What 3-year-old gets a cavity that's so bad it abscesses? It happened on my watch, and they're all going to know that I failed." To some reading this entry, this way of thinking sounds irrational, but I can imagine that any mother/caregiver reading this can relate. After the appointment, you know what I had to do? Go back home, home school the younger ones, tutor some of the older ones, wash and sort laundry, nursing in between these chores, and then do some of my own college course work.

     

      Here's how I will counter all of those nonsense blogs and I pray you'll join in with me. Are you ready for it? YOU GOT THIS, WOMAN! There it is.  I want to encourage you to do, as opposed to telling you that you're incapable of doing. I know it's hard.  I know that sometimes you feel like you're losing your mind, but I will guarantee you will not regret one sleepless night. Just imagine how you would feel if you knew you took the easy way out. I didn't give you a snippet of my day so that you would do exactly what I'm doing. No. Your life is different. Your days are different. I just wanted you to be inspired to do what's right even when you're feeling blah. Don't give up! I won't let you give up! I will join you in prayer to overcome whatever battle it is you're facing. Most of all, remember that  God will reward you!