Ever since downsizing from the McMansion, I’ve struggled with this blog. With the big house and beautiful gardens and silly goats, I had a multitude of projects and Pinterest-worthy photographs to highlight and share, and I did. But two years in our little uninsulated cabin, followed by two and a half years (so far) in our HOA-controlled rental left me kind of stumped. What do I talk about? The persistent flooding? How I’m dying to paint the kitchen cabinets…but can’t?
A lot of days, it felt simply like survival. A lot of days, it still does.
Because I’m still in the thick of diapers, Down syndrome, homeschooling, and meal preparations. I still fold laundry (a lot) and spend time listening to my children and husband (a lot). My days are full and yes, even satisfying, but in my eyes, I guess it simply felt anything but noteworthy. You know, boring. Mundane. Even isolating and lonely at times. Who wants to see a photograph of that? Raise your hand if you can relate.
But here is what I understand.
While the world is celebrating death and cultivating confusion, my home is speaking life and keeping order. Even if I am not growing a garden, I am planting and watering and nourishing something far more profound: a family. And this family, while it goes about the business of serving one another and serving our community, grows its roots deeper and deeper into the truth of who God is and what He has done on our behalf, and it displays Him by our love. Yes, even on those days when bickering and whining seem to rule, in the end love shows.
I have sensed the world hacking away at the family base for a long time, and now as a middle aged woman I have seen it plainly. Despite the damage and its casualties, there is increased insistance to bury this base of every good society and civilization. As Tom mentioned in his recent talk (you can listen to it here), homemakers are in the crosshairs because they stubbornly plant their feet at home, refusing to trade truth with trinkets.
Homemakers are not honored or exalted, to say the least. But all of the shunning (at best) and persecution (at worst) is doing nothing more than pruning, pruning, pruning. What happens to plants that are pruned? Their roots grow ever deeper and their fruit is ever stronger and more beautiful. Your roots do the same when your feet are stubbornly planted, too.
As it turns out, blogging or otherwise, I don’t have to say much at all. Quietly cultivating a simple life, deliberately choosing to stay home with my babies, growing in love and respect for my imperfect husband and honoring the time and resources that I’ve been given by joying in them…all of this speaks more loudly than I could ever know, testifying that the grace of God has indeed appeared. That’s true in your home, too, regardless of how mundane it feels.
God saves and calls us because of His own purpose and grace, and it is through our gratitude for Him that we continue the good work on the home front He has set out for us to do. It may not be worthy of Pinterest, but it will be worth the crown of life.
You are not alone and although your home life may at times feel lowly, recall and rejoice that the resurrection is real, and that you are, indeed, doing a good work in the Lord, and that does say something. In fact, it says everything.
Blessings,
This post spoke to my heart today. I am a homeschooling mom of 6. Three of my children were adobted from Foster care. I have a son who is special needs because he was born addicted to drugs and two children have trauma related behaviors. Mundane and chaotic describes most of my days. I question is this really the path God has chosen for me. Then I look at my beautiful children and imperfect husband and see that love does abound. Through it all God has been more than good to our family.
Beautiful, Nay. Thank you for your testimony of God’s grace–He is sufficient. May you continue to see that love abound.
Thank you for this beautiful post! It is a wonderful reminder to me and I know how you feel sometimes (think fixer upper that is never getting fixed up!).
May God bless you and your family as you grow in Him!
Thank you, LaRae. And–yes–the fixer upper that is never getting fixed up! lol
Yesssss this is exactly what my heart needed this evening! To be reminded and refreshed in the truth. I left a casual meeting at church this afternoon with some other moms whose children were in school or daycare and I was attempting adult conversation while keeping my 3 kids 5 and under, from breaking things and smushing their snacks in the carpet and having to step out for toddler and mommy potty breaks with my 31 week pregnant self…… it was slight chaos and comical at best. My kids behaved pretty well considering the circumstances, but as we were leaving a mom asked, so none of your kids are in school? I explained we were just starting homeschool with my oldest whose in Kindergarten. She didn’t say anything rude but her face was enough. The ride home was not filled with the healthiest thoughts. I pondered what it would be like to have kid-free days and an impressive out of the home job. I have pray-wrestled with the Lord throughout the rest of the day, as I folded laundry wrestled with truth, with finding my satisfaction in Him, stopping the endless cycle of comparison and finding contentment with the path He has called me to and the importance of life in my home. I feel like it shouldn’t be as counter-cultural as I feel sometimes in public, but your post refreshed my questioning heart this evening and helped me to reorient my thoughts and bring my eyes up from the laundry and onto eternity! Thank you for cultivating this community and for sharing your thoughts, ponderings, seemingly mundane yet glorious life with us!
We’re right there folding laundry and juggling littles with you, Katie. You are not alone! May you grow in strength and peace as you serve your family, may your children rise up and call you blessed, and may your rejoicing be ever in Him!
Thank you for communicating so well what I have not been able to put into words. I do know that God also wants to give you the desires of your heart — and perhaps after this season, you will have plenty of cabinets to paint! I have also been in a season where I longed to put down roots in the community but was transient, and so I put more roots down in my family. I don’t regret that and now all my children have graduated our home school (a few still at home thankfully!) Just so you know, your readers can always find plenty of beautiful photos on the internet but not many women who show what true Godly living is. Thank you so much! I really appreciate what you write.
Thank you, Dana. That really touched my heart.