offering my sacrifice....

This week. Oh this week. This week will not end, yet all the time is blazing forward. I am tired and my list has not gotten any shorter even as I have crossed off item after item. Not once have I been in bed before 3am. This week has been nonstop laundry, trips to the store for necessary items that are outside of my budget, last minutes church needs and organizational 'musts.' I snapped at my babies one too many times and I have cried convicted tears to my Lord each evening. This week, being a stay at home mama to a full time ministry employed husband has been tough.
My mom has always said to me, in her own version of Elisabeth Elliot's wisdom, to remember as I clean the dishes for the fifth time, and wipe snot for the eighth, as I mop and sweep over and over, and as I fold their little laundry that never ends, that these are my sacrifices. These are my little offerings to my Lord. As I try and teach my children to love their Lord, with all their heart, their soul, and their strength, they watch me folding laundry, cleaning, and cooking. Am I doing this w/ a joyful heart, glad to be able to offer this as my sacrifice or I am throwing it back to God frustrated that no one appreciates this? This week.....
I opened my email today and from my mom, who lives away, and the message says, "a present for you today." I open the email quickly and end up in tears. This is what it read.

As you offer up your daily sacrifice, remember your momma's words (only better said by someone else here):"Children are the only test of character that you cannot get rid of when you are tired or stressed and go do your own thing. You can take a break from a 'ministry' but not from a whole slew of little kids. You are up to bat all the time. You never see the dugout, much less the locker room. But it is way down in the nitty-gritty, knee deep in the nuts and bolts of everyday life, that God makes spiritual giants. Laundry and phonics and recipes are the stuff of greatness. "Love you

Thank you Lord first for my amazing mother, who, even when I haven't mentioned to her my rough week, is prompted by the Holy Spirit to send this to me. Secondly I am thankful for the privilege to serve my family, even when it is a neverending week. Thank you for three healthy babies. Thank you for motherhood. And mostly, thank you for grace.