Looking through the Lens of Eternity

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises if him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” -1 Peter 2:9

Motherhood. 

There are so many thoughts and emotions tied to this one word. 

There are moments of utter happiness, wondering how you ever lived your life before your children and then there are moments where you wonder, “How in the world did I think I was cut out for this?” 

Motherhood is hard.

Do you ever get caught up in the mundane aspects of motherhood? Dishes, laundry, meal prep, homework, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.?

I was recently reading a book called “Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full” and I came across this passage that truly made me stop in my tracks:

“When the mundane looms larger than eternal life,

we forget who God is,

who we are,

and who our children are.”

WOW.

Even reading it again resets my mind.

So, essentially, we are humans, created in God’s image, with an eternal life ahead of us if we choose to follow Him. This eternal perspective is also one for our children as well. When we forget this, and choose to only focus on the day to day, our perspective becomes very small.

It is easy (especially as a mother) to make a list of things that need to get done (I actually read blogs on how to maximize my time), and to feel like you are in a race to see how much you can accomplish. AND, lets be honest, there is an element of competition in the motherhood realm as well… ever been to Target and thought to yourself, “How is that mom of 4 children dressed, clean and drinking coffee while her kids are happy, healthy and also clothed???? While I have only 1 child and he has 4 different kinds of food in his hair, he is standing in the cart reaching for a glass bottle on the shelf while crying and he has peed through his diaper??” Yeah, me too. 

We all want to feel like we know what we are doing and have everything under control, but quite frankly, sometimes it seems impossible. In these moments, we could use an eternity mindset shift! God has planned so much more for us than we can see and he has planned for longer than just today. When we choose to see beyond our to-do list and focus instead on the Lord, His calling on our lives as women, daughters, mothers, sisters, etc. then we can break loose of the weight we put on ourselves. 

Our children pick up on so much more than we realize, and knowing that, we can choose to be intentional with our time. Every opportunity we have with them throughout the day can be used to point them (and others) towards the Lord and His loving grace, OR it can point away. 

So, the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list, or just discouraged in your role, just stop and think about heaven; think about God’s plan for you and how it extends so much further than this moment and this day. Worship Him by giving Him your thoughts, praise Him and try to remember all the reasons why you are thankful for this season.

Sometimes, I catch myself grumbling over the monotony of the days, but then I ask the Lord to change my heart in that moment and give me an eternal perspective and He does! It changes my whole day; it has the potential to change my whole life and the life after this, for eternity.