We trip over the same toy.
We look at a hamper that never seems to empty.
We stand in front of a sink that fills faster than I can empty it.
We taxi children from one destination to another.
Are these familiar moments to you, too?
As we move into the season of thankfulness and gratitude, it is easy to join the hundreds of others who will post a thankful thought each day until Thanksgiving… but what about the rest of the year?
We forget to be thankful when the everyday demands of life pull us in every direction except to the One who has given us much to be thankful for.
We allow the busyness of life to blur the beauty of right now as we longingly look towards the future of calm we anticipate.
We drown out the sounds of voices calling our name with other noises which tend to be louder and more deafening than the sounds we are trying to run away from.
And we forget…
We forget to look to God with a grateful heart for children who call our name… because one day they will be grown and gone, and we will long to hear our name called by a little voice.
We forget to thank God for the child who plays with his toys for hours on end and uses his imagination to create incredible stories and adventures… because one day the toys will be put away for good as our children outgrow them and move into adulthood.
We forget to be thankful for the abundance of clothes still hanging in our closet, giving us a chance to close the door to the laundry room for one more day… because one day our laundry load will shrink as our children move out on their own and begin doing their own laundry.
We forget to be thankful for the full refrigerator and pantry that has filled our bellies and the bellies of our children while so many go hungry. We forget to thank God for what each dirty dish represents… growing children whom God has given us the privilege of providing for.
We forget to thank God for the time spent in the car with our children where we are able to hear about their day and find out what is going on in their world… because one day our car rides will be much quieter and a bit longer and we travel to visit them and their families.
This season of gratitude, I offer you a challenge. The next time an all too familiar moment brings a feeling of dissatisfaction, complaint, or unthankful spirit to the forefront of your emotions, stop, take a deep breath, and thank God for this very moment. Look for the beauty that God has hidden in it. Gather the ones causing this moment in your life into your arms and cherish them. Close your eyes as you breathe a quick recitation of Psalm 9:1a, “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart.”
And be thankful for the gift of motherhood you have been given.
This is part of our Thanksgiving series. You can see more posts here.
