My son loves to stir up the anything in the kitchen. Wherever I am in the kitchen, he is there, waiting to stir up something tasty. Whether we’re baking, cooking, or just mixing up something small, he longs to be present and in the midst of all the goodness. A few days ago, we were trying out a new recipe for pancakes and he couldn’t wait to mix, pour, and flip the circles of fluffy goodness. As we were working together in the kitchen, I took mental notes for future thoughts and memories on the transformation food and fulfillment of wonder in the kitchen.
These small actions we do in our homes as mothers flow over into so much goodness and Kingdom work. As we wash dishes and clothes, guide tiny hands in projects, and even stir up kitchen confections, each act stirs up wonder and anticipation for more Kingdom work, building up hope for the glorious Kingdom to come.
As amazing and glorious as this sounds (or perhaps novel to some), it’s difficult to conceive how this is possible when many of our home are overrun by the chaos of little ones and the mundanity of life. Most of us barely find time to shift through the laundry for clean clothes, let alone stir up a meal in the kitchen that doesn’t involve the plugging in the Instant Pot (don’t get me wrong…..I constantly use mine!). If we struggle performing the daily tasks with any amount of joy, how then can we go beyond them to grasp the wonder of what we are actually doing?
The secret is not necessarily to do more than what we’re doing. The secret (which is not secret at all) is to grasp onto the joy of the Lord first and ask Him to stir up our hearts for His glory that we cherish each moment and give it unto Him.
Renewing Motherhood Prayer:
“Heavenly Father,
These daily tasks, this work to which You have called me is truly the most important work I have to accomplish in this lifetime. I so desire to grasp onto the joy of the work of motherhood, but I so often lack the faith and the energy in the darkness of my darkness. Stir up my heart for Your glory and set my affections on this above rather than the weight of my burdens. Guide me to pursue Your truth and Your knowledge, so that grace may abound in the culture of my home and fuel my every thought and action. Stir up my heart for You.” -Amen