Amidst the messes and the meals, the loads of laundry and the countless cleanups I can lose track of life and the purpose and calling and meaning of it all.

I have to remind myself of the God I serve. I have to be thoughtful and mindful of what I perceive as only ordinary moments, our God often sees as extraordinary. Our Almighty God is all about transforming the mundane into majestic and the boring into abundant. And as a mama and wife I find beauty and strength in that.

In Matthew 18 Jesus says, “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Often, I get so focused on what I need to teach my children that I forget that I, too, have something to learn from them and their humble ways.

Somehow along the road of life I have lost the ability to find amazement in the ordinary things. I no longer see joy and wonder in the sighting of a squirrel in our backyard. But my 2 year old son, he sat and watched it, as if he was mesmerized by the movements and ways of this creature. He was simply taking it all in. Like my child, I too want to slow down and be able to enjoy the beauty of a squirrel but often I’m too busy with my agenda and a to-do list. As I watch my 2 and almost 4 year old take in all the moments I think to myself, “Oh little ones, I really do have so much to learn from you. The simple sounds and sights that bring laughter to you, I want that sense of wonder too. The joy you get from experiencing nature, I desire that. I know it’s a gift from The Lord. That joy is a blessing to you because you, child, have not believed the lies of this world. You have not traded counterfeit joy for instant gratification. You don’t care about likes and status and followers and making a name for yourself. No, you have the beauty of innocence and wonder. It’s a gift, let’s cherish it together. I have much to learn.”

The rest of the passage from Matthew 18 reads “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf, is welcoming me.” Do we honestly, really believe that and does our role as mother reflect that promise?

What does it mean to welcome Christ? It means experiencing Him, serving Him, and seeing Him.

Experiencing Him is such a treasure. In what ways in our ordinary and mundane life are we missing opportunities to experience God and His beauty? The things we see as background noise that are meant to be blessings? I know I am missing them and I cry out to my Maker “Father, please, let me experience You and your creation with wonder and excitement. Let me hear, really hear your birds. Let them not be background noise but let them be a symphony that brings joy to my heart and fills my soul with thanksgiving for You and Your beauty.”
I learned this from seeing my child experience our Heavenly Father through nature.

Serving Him is such a sacrifice, one that I am honored to make because I get to model just a glimpse of what Christ set out to do here on earth. After Jesus washed His disciples feet He didn’t ask for them to line up and wash His feet. He commanded them to go and wash each others feet. What a perspective. Why am I thinking that serving my family has to be glamorous and full of praise and accolades? Like I am missing out on something in life because I am “just a mom.” Often doing hard things means doing small everyday things, the things that no one else sees. And what matters most is we have an audience of One. God sees and because of the strength and peace and love you find in Him, you get to serve your family with joy from the overflow that comes from abiding and resting in Him. Our children and husbands will be so blessed when we choose to have an eternal perspective for serving them.

Seeing Him gives life clarity. Let’s ask for eyes to see our children the way Christ sees them and allow our hearts to respond differently to circumstances.Let’s choose to connect with them and use the mess to share the message of The Gospel. Let’s show them grace when they are having a hard time expressing their emotions, needs, hurts, and frustrations. That same grace that our Heavenly Father so graciously shows us. Let’s see them as beautiful souls who need nurturing and are worthy of our devoted time and commitment and love.

Through our children, Christ is allowing us to welcome Him, serve Him, see Him and rest in Him. If we are too busy with life we are missing the great blessings He has in store for us.
So together, ladies, let’s put down our devices and distractions and let’s be intentional to experience and enjoy life with our children, allow them be a blessing to us and learn from their humble ways.
Let’s look up and notice and enjoy more of God’s beauty and creation. Let’s come before our Savior and ask for eyes to see our children the way He sees them and welcome Christ into our home by serving our family with love and grace that only comes from resting in the power of Jesus Christ.