This one touched me as a stay at home mom. (Yes, I know I'm supposed to write SAHM, but I'm just not THERE yet!) How many times have I said to myself over the past five years, "Aren't I supposed to be doing something ELSE?" Referring, of course, to the endless diapers and dishes and revolving door between kitchen, laundry room and changing table.
Check out what Gary Thomas explains in the book Sacred Marriage.
I remember my brother asking me a few questions about what marriage was like. I thought for a moment and said, "If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there's no question -- stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to become more like Jesus, I can't imagine any better thing to do than to get married. Being married forces you to face some character issues you'd never have to face otherwise."
Jesus, of course, was celibate his entire life, so it's somewhat ironic to suggest that marriage is the preferred route to becoming more like him. But Jesus did live in a family and as Betsy Ricucci points out, that's all he had done at the time the Father proclaimed, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). "What had Jesus done to receive such praise? Nothing but live in his own home, honoring his parents and serving his father's carpentry business. Apparently that was enough to please God."*
Does that strike anyone else like it struck me? He was "doing His thing." Every day. Eating, praying, bathing, carving wood, saying "Hi, Mom," and "Yes, Dad." And God was pleased. Not just pleased. WELL pleased.
Lord, will you be pleased with my day tomorrow? I'm going to feed everyone three or four times, clean the kitchen three or four times, change a few diapers, hopefully do a load of laundry, go through the mail, so I don't miss any bills and will try to remember to say, "Hi, Honey" to my honey.
Please be pleased.
*Used by grace, since I didn't ask permission.
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