Mundane Days

"But where is God in the day-to-day? Where is God in the normal? In the everyday, average, mundane, and boring?

God is there.

Martin Luther asks, “What will you do in the mundane days of faithfulness?” Because, as a missionary, and as a Christian, many days are mundane. Yes, praise the Lord for the days when the woman who has been held captive is freed; when the old, blind man sees for the first time; when the child with the terminal illness is cured. Yes, praise God. But also praise God when laundry is done, when meals are prepared, when miles are walked, hands are held, smiles are shared, and when a sigh is exhaled at the end of what seems like just another day. Praise God.

Dare I say that these mundane days of faithfulness are even more important than the day that, God forbid, we are asked at gunpoint if we follow Jesus Christ? Because in our culture of consumerism, instant gratification, and high divorce rates, faithfulness is a virtue that is all but lost." Melody Brewer

On the home front many days seem mundane right now. Especially considering the life we walked for the past year +. I think It's perfectly ok to sit back (I'm not actually doing any sitting) and take a few ordinary days. Thank you Jesus. And although I say this, there is much that is still not mundane around here, guess it's all in comparison. I think I should cry even typing this. I'm not going to lie, there were days when I wasn't sure I was going to be here, let alone even having a thought of praising Jesus in mundane days. 

I wake up to my alarm most mornings and it's still dark. I soak in a few minutes with my Jesus before my feet hit the ground running. And I do this mom thing that I so desperately wanted to do my whole life. Let me tell you there is not a day that goes by anymore where I am not thankful for this mundane. I know I have a purpose here in this place more than I ever imagined. I know my kids need me and I feel honored to be their mom and watch them grow and be a blessing to me. I still get frustrated and still have to discipline, but that is part of the mundane that I am thankful for to. I remember writing a blog way back, asking others to be kind to my out-of-sorts-rambunctious-children-with-no-limits while their mom tried to survive. Now I'm here, doing this thing. We wake up. I make lunches. I drink warm tea. I wake up each little face one by one and sing songs to them and cuddle them. I help them get dressed and do their hair. I  Feed them breakfast. I sign papers and fill water bottles. I pick stuff out of braces and brush their teeth. I tie shoes. I change diapers. I pack them in the car. We pray. I drop the older two off and I kiss them. I get the little 2 ready for the day. we play. we eat. we watch shows. We eat lunch, outside on the patio and call it a picnic. I actually grocery shop for my family and love it. I wait in car line and try to get there as early as I can to see my babies. I think of what everyone wants for dinner. I make dinner (most nights). I watch soccer practices. I go to orthodontist appointments and doctor check ups. I watch the girls dressing up and dancing (and I smile and no longer cry). I sprint after them while they ride their bikes around the neighborhood. I tuck them in. Every night I check on them after they are asleep and kiss each cheek. 

Mundane all this? Maybe. But after missing out on these precious moments for a whole year of their life I am loving every second of this going a million miles a minute mom business. This is all I really ever wanted to do and be. A mom. And to think that there was a time in my life where this stressed me out and brought out unwanted anxiety of trying to manage it all. I couldn't let things go now I could care less about the things and care way more about my people. Someone a few weeks ago said they didn't now how I did it, I quickly said I don't know either, BUT I do know that when it was taken away from me, for even a short time, I missed it desperately and realized there isn't anything better. 

The girls are doing great. Adjusting to school just perfectly. We are where God has called us and there are stories behind that part of this too. I am loving the days with just my baby boy some mornings. I am going to bible study at church, it has been years. I feel like I am resurfacing after a reaaaaaaally long hibernation. And God is here, walking me through. 

I’ve never been more grateful for a mundane day. And I will take all the mundane days I can get. I will pray for them, I will hold onto the moments, and I will ask God to show me how to better serve him with my days in this mundane life. Maybe it is in the ordinary that we will better be able to see Jesus, because our life won't be overtaken with too many distractions. There is still quality in being faithful even when the days seem common. There is one thing that will never be mundane though. That is my heart beating for my Jesus. He has put me in this place, mundane or not. This day is a gift. These people I do life with are a gift, and there is nothing mundane, or ordinary, about Christ. He is the giver of all things, he is unchanging, when our life is changing. He meets us in the mundane, because that is where he has a plan for our lives. There is not one thing in our day that doesn't get unnoticed by him. 

“You know when I sit and when I rise…” Psalm 139

I have had many thoughts about geez, what do I write about when everything is going fine. I have many unpublished parts of my life story to still share, but everyone wants a good story. Strong emotions tell great stores. If you have one, you need to write it down and share it! I think there was just so much passion before in my journey, and I need to remind myself daily that there is just as much still here. There is a good story still going on here friends. I pray just the beginning, but be it mundane or utter chaos this will always ring true…

 “being confident of this, that he who began

 a good work in you will carry it

 on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 Philippians 1:6

"It’s called Mundane Faithfulness. I started it from Martin Luther’s quote, “What will you do in the mundane days of faithfulness?” My husband had preached that very often, and I really felt like as a mom most of our days are like Groundhog Day. Every day is the same: laundry, dishes, dinners. How do you see Jesus in the midst of it and how do you not just get through it, but live well in the midst of it?

I really started it thinking it was going to be a mom blog, just encouraging moms to love their kids well, and I didn’t realize that it was going to be my journey on cancer and loving kids well and my husband well. When I first got the diagnosis, I went to our elders as they prayed for me and said my "hard" is that I would not use illness as an excuse to be unkind to my family. That has really been my prayer—that even though I am a horrible sick person, I hate being sick, I asked God to help me, in the midst of my hard, to be kind and loving to my family." Kara Tippets