You’ve seen them…the advertisements touting how this diet will make the pounds melt off of you, or this product will make your housework feel like a walk in the park, or this method will be the answer to all your problems. The prospect of this sort of thing is exciting, tempting, and…destructive.
SELF-destructive, to be exact.
You see, we all want easy street. We all want the most efficient, fastest, easiest way from Point A to Point B. If our map app can do it, surely we can do it in our every day lives. But, when there is a detour, a roadblock, or even a stop sign in the middle of it all, we get irritated. We get discontent. We get depressed.
And we are pretty certain WE are the ones who failed because after all…
It was supposed to be EASY!
I homeschool. I have a large family. I have a 2 year old. I have a newborn. I have a lot of laundry. I have 20 extra pounds. I…
Good grief! The list could go on and on and on. “I” this and “I” that. Can’t “I” get a break?
But, what if “I” embraced the fact that this stuff is hard?
Homeschooling? It’s hard.
Raising a lot of kids? Yep, it’s hard too.
My 2 year old? Oh my yes! Hard!
My newborn? Naw, she’s an easy keeper.
The laundry? Hard.
Losing the extra 20 pounds? HARD!
When you accept that some things are hard, some things you have to WORK at, some things aren’t going to be easy, your outlook on life completely changes. You don’t see the roadblocks and stop signs, twists and turns in the road, detours and potholes as obstacles designed to undermine your perfect life. You don’t see homeschooling as the problem, the toddler as the problem, or even the 20 pounds as the problem. You see things for what they are…WORK. And yes, sometimes HARD WORK.
When homeschooling my large family becomes difficult – and it does – that doesn’t mean I’m doing something wrong or I should throw in the towel. It may mean I need to slow down, try something new, or simply PERSEVERE.
When raising my large family feels overwhelming, especially cooking for them and putting out all the fires my 2 year old creates, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have had all these kids. It may mean I’m in a difficult season, and prayer is the only thing that is going to get me through.
When the laundry is piled to the ceiling or piled on the couch, it doesn’t mean I have too many clothes (Mom 😉 ). It may mean I need to revamp my laundry system, put away the seasonal clothes, or keep a better eye on the kids and how often they are changing clothes (ahem…you know who you are…). And when that’s all done, just make peace with the fact that there are 10 of us wearing clothes, using towels, and sleeping on sheets every single day. The laundry will NEVER be caught up.
And that 20 pounds? It isn’t going to melt off of me. I will have to WORK at it. I will have to have self control. I will have to say no to dessert and yes to exercise. I will have to accept that there is no gimmick or pill or super awesome diet that will rid me of my gluttony. That’s between me and the Lord.
Folks, this life is supposed to be hard work. Always looking for easy street will only lead to dead ends. You will never be joyful or content. You will miss the beauty of the journey, the lessons to be learned, the freedom of surrender. Work hard, my friends. Stay strong. Be diligent.
“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12b-13
Read the entire chapter…so, so good! I’m praying for all of you this week!
Mrs. Cliff says
Just what I needed this morning!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Total agreement with
baby … he is a piece of cake too :). Have a blessed day, serving the Lord
with JOY!!!
Rebecca says
This was the perfect reminder for a Monday morning. Thank you for taking the time to encourage other moms. I appreciat how real you are.
joyce says
thanks, i needed these reminders this morning.
Janel says
Thanks for these words of encouragement! I really needed this today.
Cassandra says
Thank you so much for this post!
Jessica says
I do hope you know how sweetly you speak the words of the Holy Spirit in my life (and how often!). I needed to be reminded that it is hard work, and that it doesn’t mean I’m not cut out for what He has so graciously given. Thank you.
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays says
Love this post Amy! It is a beautiful reminder that we moms need to all hear. Life is hard- but worth it!!
Tyra says
Thank you so much for writing this post. I really needed to hear that this morning!!
Kersten says
Thank you so very much. Have had trouble with the pity party lately as I have massive amounts of sickness here. RSV pneumonia ear infections sinus infections and I’m sick too. Got to the wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take care of myself pity party but you are right. Sometimes it is just hard work. Doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be where I’m at. Just in a season of holding on to His grace. Thank you thank you thank you.
Kaitlin says
i just (as in moments ago ) read the book of phillipians and was encouraged just a verses after the one you quoted with ” do all things without grumbling or questioning”. this momma life is hard! but this is where God has me and he has a purpose for this hard work. he is definitely refining me and making me more like Him. thanks for this post! now i need to get to work;)
mreeanne says
I keep getting an ad for a maid service: “Life’s to short to clean your own house.” I tease my husband about it, but really if you are that busy then you are way too busy.
Gabby@MamaGab says
I don’t know…I’ve thought about it as “one day.” If I ever have to choose between teaching my children at home or maintaining the house, the first thing I would hire out would be housework. It’s cheaper than a good Christian school and I can be the one discipling my little ones. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’ve known many a homeschooling mom who have found sanity in a little help around the house.
Angie says
Thank you for saying the hard things. There’s a lot I have to work through with this. Sometimes what we need to hear is not soft, gentle and actually hurts.
Kayla says
I agree. I’ve been frustrated lately because everything seems so hard and I just want to take all of the shortcuts. It’s partly the season of life with a 3 year old and 17 month old (yes, that is challenging), but mostly I just need an attitude adjustment and more prayer time.
Lori Alexander says
This is so good, Amy! Women are continually asking me how to keep their homes neat and tidy. There is no easy way. All about being a wife and mother takes very hard work but this work has eternal rewards; the very best rewards.
kimberly says
i agree completely, and thank you, I needed reminded of it today.
Jessica says
I needed this today too! I have no voice today and had just decided to buckle down and finish school so that we could start at the same time next fall without a delay. We do all year because we take large breaks for family around holidays and birthdays. Any tips for teaching K-1st grade homeschoolers (I know when I taught public school we just did student reading and worksheets) with no voice?
Amy says
You might find some audios here: http://www.myaudioschool.com/ – and yes, worksheets & them reading to you are great!
Heather says
Awesome thank you.. Much needed read for I tired pregnant mama of 6.
Kirsten Pankratz says
Thank you for your post your post, Amy. Yes, I’ve been thinking lately about how it is Hard! I’m not afraid of hard. I’m a country girl and I’ve met a lot of hard things with sweat and determination…..but this is a different kind of hard. A weary mama with no sleep and a migraine just has to keep going. I pray every day for wisdom. This is a big job. It’s an awesome job but it’s a big responsibility and I want to do it as “right” as I can. It does feel like I’m failing sometimes…..like when I go to bed with the little potty sitting in the living room unemptied (again) but I go anyway because I’m just so tired and I know I’ll be up nursing in a couple hours anyway. It’s a wonderful ride and I’m so thankful for each of our 5 kids and I am hanging on God to get me through so often….and I suppose that’s exactly where I should be. Blessing to you and your family!
Josi says
Great encouragement that is needed by us all. Yes, this is hard work. I always say that so much about life is uncertain but I can ALWAYS count on having more laundry, dishes and hungry tummies…..we have great job security!! 🙂
Gabby@MamaGab says
YES! The hard stuff in life is always worth the work. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault for choosing the hard way, but I know, without a doubt, that God has called me to homeschooling, to homemaking, and to carrying this new little life, baby #4. It’s a joy to get to do these things, even though so they’re difficult at times.
Pam says
I love this post…Raising Arrows..what a great title for your ministry.
Blessed is the Man (and woman) with a quiver full… May blessing always
show up at your door. (and in your laundry room)
lovingly….Pam
Jen Holm says
Ah Ha! I can’t believe it! Or maybe I should…because God is more faithful than I will ever comprehend. How recent you have written this post and how at this exact time in my life *this* is what I needed to read from a fellow mama, and to glean from someone else’s experience and wisdom. Just yesterday I asked God to bring some encouragement my way from another mother… This was a great eye opener for me that perhaps I have been expecting or chasing after that easy street or some sort of cookie cutter method to parenting so that I could feel more ease about adding to our family.
“My 2 year old? Oh my yes! Hard!
My newborn? Naw, she’s an easy keeper. ” – oh this made me chuckle, having a 2 year old has made caring for a baby seem like a walk in the park!
It’s not having a baby that has given me doubts about getting pregnant soon (Lord willing)….it’s the brand new trials we have faced with a 2 year old!
“that doesn’t mean I’m doing something wrong or I should throw in the towel. It may mean I need to slow down, try something new, or simply PERSEVERE.”
Amen! I guess this is something I do naturally as a type A personality, task oriented person, is I will immediately feel that I did something wrong and I am responsible to “fix” it. Like fixing my toddlers behavior….but she is her own person with her own free will no matter how top notch my parenting skill could be.
Anyway, So glad I got to read this. Thank you for the encouragement!
Amy says
🙂 I hope you have a wonderful day!