This morning I woke up feeling ‘blah’. I think I might have actually even said, “ugh” the moment I opened my eyes.
Maybe it was the fact that the power had gone out in our neighborhood in the middle of the night which caused my children to wake up and promptly freak out. OK, so only one of my children freaked out. The other one simply grabbed her flashlight and went back to sleep but not before telling us how concerned she was about the toaster working in the morning so she could have her favorite waffles. The child who did in fact freak out really wanted to sleep with us and since he is basically the size of a small-ish adult you can imagine how psyched we were over the idea of him joining us in our queen sized bed.
Maybe it was the fact that even before I opened my eyes I knew that there were dirty dishes overflowing in my sink and spilling onto the counters.
Maybe it was the fact that I was fairly certain 3 out of the 4 of us were out of clean underwear.
Or maybe it was the fact that it is raining and it’s the middle of June for Pete’s sake.
Whatever the reason, the ‘blahs’ were hitting hard and frankly I was kind of welcoming them with open arms.
I just wanted to sit and wallow in them while clinging to my hot cup of coffee. That sweet, sweet nectar was the only thing keeping me from crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head. Well, that and knowing that I should probably through a load of underwear in the wash.
At some point in the morning I remembered that my youngest was starting swim camp this week and I dragged myself to the bathroom for a shower.
I glanced down at the stack of books sitting next to the toilet (moms everywhere know that this room is the only place where maybe, just maybe we can get 5 minutes to ourselves. Until they find us!) and picked up ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers.
It’s my favorite.
And here’s what I read, ” We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with it’s common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.”
Here’s the thing my friends, more of our lives will be filled with ‘drudgery’ than anything else. Yes, there will be mountain-top experiences when we are overwhelmed by God’s goodness and mercy and answered prayers. And yes, there will be valley experiences where we are overwhelmed by loss and grief and heartache and we will cling to Him in desperation.
But, the rest of the time? Well, it’s just life.
It’s dirty dishes.
It’s running out of clean underwear.
It’s kids climbing into bed with you in the middle of the night because they are scared even though they are 11 years old.
It’s the rainy summer days that just feel so, so wrong.
And I don’t know about you, but I find it way harder to feel close to the Lord in the times of drudgery than I do on the mountain-tops or in the valley.
Because, in those moments I feel like I don’t have a choice BUT to praise Him or cling to Him.
But in the drudgery, well, it’s definitely a choice.
I stood in the shower and let the warm water wash over me and knew that my day was going to be filled with choices.
Should I leave the dishes in the sink for awhile longer while I have another cup of coffee?
Yes.
Should I spring for packages of goldfish crackers after swimming lessons?
Yes.
Should I decide to NOT go to the grocery store with 2 kids in the pouring rain knowing full well that it would be a recipe for disaster considering we were all feeling grumpy and tired and that we would probably end up having pancakes for dinner because it’s slim pickin’s in our house right now?
Yes.
Should we snuggle in together on the couch and watch movies on this rainy summer day in June?
YES!!!
And will I ‘learn to live in those common moments of the drudgery of life by the power of God’?
Well, I’m definitely going to try!
My 9 year old daughter woke me up at 3 am this morning and crawled into bed with me because she had a bad dream. Although I was exhausted this morning, I realized that there will come a day, when she won’t need to run to me when she’s afraid and I will miss these days immensely. Great blog, I have lots of the drudgery lately and I like the way Oswald Chambers looks at it. I will have to remember that.
You have no idea how much I needed to read what you had to say today! Thank you for setting me straight! Great post!
LOVE!!!
I sat down last night with my husband talking over pretty much this exact same thing and how I’ve been feeling frustrated and stagnant in the midst of the drudgery. THANK YOU for sharing this – I really needed it and it was perfect timing.
I think you had a great day! Seriously, you did. Any pancakes left over 😉
That’s one of my favorite devotion books 🙂 Life indeed is drudgery, some days more than others, and it’s true that you find God more in the valleys than in the everyday. I love Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts book and am making my list and checking it twice!
Great post! I’ve found that as I’m getting older, I relish the ordinary days and enjoy the simple tasks of daily living. Just feel blessed to be here everyday, I suppose! Hope you had a chance to snuggle some today!
Good for you..thats the best choice alobg with washing those underpants!!
Leave the dishes . . . watch a movie with the kids . . . good choice . . . there’s always tomorrow . . the washer will still be there . . . and paper plates are always a great option!!…Oh the days of “mommyhood”….
Thanx for the awesome post. Loved it!
It’s all LOVERLY! Jo @Anne’s Attic – Design http://fulcolbaxia.wordpress.com
Thank you for sharing, I needed that today!!!!
Country singer, Scotty McCreery, an American Idol winner, has a song called “Dirty Dishes”. It is about a prayer his mom surprises everyone with at the dinner table. If you have time, listen to it. It will make you appreciate those dirty dishes. I always enjoy reading your posts.
So wise for being so young! YOu were certainly raised right! I love your perspective on so much… but mostly on our Father, God! Bless you for the sunshine you spread… even on a rainy day!
Thanks sweet friend! 🙂
Sometimes reading your blog is like adding another devotional to my mornings. God bless you and I’m so happy you enjoy special moments on your children and life without worrying about housework.
Oh Nancy thank you so much! Your encouraging words are a blessing to me!
Thank you. I have had this on my heart. The drudgery of life — I’ve been without my washer for two weeks. Just finding a hallelujah moment seemed very hard. But it is a choice isn’t it? And I choose to bless The Lord, even in the mundane just existing days as well as the awesome days Orville the sometimes hard days. I needed this reminder.
It’s definitely a choice Peggy and I find myself having to make that choice multiple times a day! But isn’t it nice to know we are all in this together? 🙂
Love your truth 🙂 All about pancakes for dinner some days!