The morning begins a little earlier than I'd prefer. But when you're consistently in and out of bed, the line between night's end and morning's start is pretty foggy, anyway. Bring on the extra large mug of Kona coffee! My brother told me, way back at the beginning of this motherhood journey, not to keep track. 'Knowing how many times you were up last night or how many diapers you've changed today certainly won't make the situation any better and might even make you feel worse.' Words of wisdom, my friends, words of wisdom.
Both boys are sick and every day this week I have opened up my planner only to draw a big line through whatever was scheduled for the day. The post office will have to wait, the library will always be there, we actually have plenty of groceries and a trip to the city would not be in our best interest. Wiping snotty noses and rocking feverish babies takes priority and it's messy work but I'm here to tell you that it matters. Three months postpartum I'm learning to view the events of the day with 'new eyes'. I'm beginning to grasp the eternal significance in the mundane tasks of right now.
A friend from church shared with me a story of
cathedrals; a fresh perspective on embracing the work set before me. For the most part, those who build cathedrals remain name-less. These massive buildings, grandiose and towering into the sky, intricately decorated and rich with significance both spiritual and historical,
started small. They began as a thought in someone's mind, these magnificent structures. They were once simple lines on paper and their construction was completed one laborious step after another.
Brick on top of brick, board nailed into board, tedious and time consuming; cathedrals could take centuries to complete. Not much is known about the architects, the builders and those who showed up day in and day out to get their hands dirty and make things happen. But one thing is for certain,
they mattered! Their work and commitment made the finished product possible. The results of their labor, mundane as it may have seemed, will impact history for countless generations.
And then she looked at me, this friend from church, and she said, 'Bethel, you are building a cathedral!' And I wanted to cry right then and there but, I didn't.. I cried later. Because it's so easy to loose sight of the importance in the work set before us. The finished product, the fruit of our labor, is sometimes so far out of sight that we grow weary of the daily grind. But today matters.
A video was shared online about moms caring for their babes. They picked their little ones up when they fell, cheered them on at the hockey rink, warmed up frozen toes, held them when they cried and so on and so forth. At the very end you see these babes as athletes, all grown up and competing in olympic events, and there's their mama right at the finish lines. These women are cheering them on just as they have been doing since day one. And the unsaid, obvious message of this commercial is that these kids turned olympians are who they are largely because of that crazy lady at the finish line screaming for all she's worth. And I watched this over and over because I need to remind myself that
today matters. Kissing the scraped knees, pulling them up and having them start again, praising the smallest efforts, staying consistent, being their biggest fan.... this enables kids to soar.
So, don't give up. Maybe you're sailing in my boat. Perhaps the work set before you is entirely different than mine but you're realizing the same truth; things which have eternal significance and the utmost value are built one brick at a time. And yes, I am in the thick of a construction site over here. I smell like Baby Vix and Bordeaux's Butt Paste. I have play doh stuck to my shirt and I've worn these leggings for four days straight. I am frazzled by day's end and thanking Jesus for a husband who came home announcing, 'We are ordering pizza for dinner!' I definitely do not see every disaster and melt down as the ideal opportunity to teach. But I won't give up. Today matters. I am building a cathedral. I am cheering on olympic athletes (or astronauts or carpenters or whatever else they might possibly make up their mind to be!). And this work set before me is hard and messy and absolutely necessary and
of the highest honor.
And then our pastor preached directly to me; squirming-in-my-seat-me. (How do they always know just what I don't want to hear?!) He spoke of a society so focused on end results, preferably quick and easy ones, we're all about seeing
fruit if we're going to be doing any labor-ing. But in the midst of this scrambling for instant results and quick fixes, Jesus calls us to a different way of life. Jesus teaches the slow and steady tending of our seeds that will, eventually, way down the line, maybe not even in our life time, produce much fruit! We are called to be faithful to right now, to the nitty gritty digging of our hands down into the soil of whatever work He has put before us. And He whispers to my weary heart, 'Daughter, THIS WORK will make all the difference! Today matters.'
What is the work set before you, my friends? Don't give up on it, don't let the mundane feel of the day in and day out detract from the knowledge that your work is of the utmost importance. Know that each brick matters. Build your cathedral!! Tend your seeds! And above all, hold fast to the knowledge that
'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' Philippians 1:6 Because if He's not giving up on me, who am I to give up on today..
