Meditation Monday // He rejoices over you with gladness

It’s the time of the year when our household comes down with colds every few weeks. It’s just the reality of having small children, two of which are in school. There’s a part of me that gets paralyzed by every sickness, focusing on managing sick symptoms and rendering me useless to the tasks of the home. That’s when everything falls apart. Behind on laundry, dishes piled high, missing self imposed work deadlines. My inadequacy stares me down and I feel my lack.

You see, it’s easy to boast in ourselves when mothering and homemaking feels like a breeze. When it’s joyful and seamless. And everything is in tip top shape.

But when the house is a mess and I’m falling behind in literally everything, I default to self pity and guilt. Feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed to make any progress. It’s times like these where I need to rehearse the truths of the gospel to myself. See, I know these truths deep down. But sometimes the distance from my head to my heart is a lot more than just a few inches.

I stood at this sink for what seemed like hours yesterday, but instead of being overwhelmed I enjoyed the view. Leaves changing from green to yellow to orange to red, birds in flight and singing while they head south, and meditating and memorizing one of my favorite verses—

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love. Zephaniah 3:17

Could it be that the Lord is in my midst, while I scrub dishes? That He rejoices over the obedience of tending to our home and the little hearts in it? That He quiets my anxious and overwhelmed heart and leads me to bring my cares to Him?

The job of mother and homemaking is not one to boast in (surely I know, I hardly ever do it well), but it is one to lean into the Lord every minute of everyday, because we can’t do this in our own strength.

So I encourage you to put aside all pride and boasting in self today. Take refuge in the name of God. Bank your hope on the righteousness of Christ and not your own. And let yourself awaken to the wonder that the Lord, the King of kings, rejoices over you with gladness and exults over you with loud singing.

soli deo gloria

tori