Stamina

Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

(Galatians 6:9)

There's an e-mail story that lands in my inbox every few months about a man who comes home from work to a messy house. The children are still in their pajamas, there are toys everywhere, food isn't put away and dirty dishes are still on the kitchen table. He finds his wife sitting calmly in bed reading a book. When he asks what happened she replies, "You ask me every day when you come home, what I did that day, today I didn't do it."This story resonates well with me because I find it to be so true. Our work as mothers is never done. Laundry is never fully caught up. No matter how often we clean the kitchen, in a few hours there will be dirty dishes again. Being a mom requires an enormous amount of self-discipline and stamina to keep doing the same tasks over and over again.Each of us is hand-picked by God to care for the precious people in our homes. Daily chores allow us the opportunity to show our love through our actions. It's easier to view a "special" act as a loving one, like when I take the extra time to make my husband's favorite meal. But it's also picking up the dirty socks, washing the dishes and every other little daily act that shows our love. And although it may sometimes seem, we are not defined by all the things that we do, but by our love.

By Jill Arnold, MOPS International Area Coordinator