It’s been a long day. I know my hubby had an equally long day, so I’m sure he was ecstatic to receive my texts as he was heading home.

“I am so done with your children. I know you’re tired too, but please be prepared to do all the interacting with them.”

“When are you going to be here???”   (Yeah, I’m sure he was rushing home to encounter me in all my loveliness at this point.)

“They have nothing. Nothing. Don’t even think of letting them look at a screen forever.”   (Nothing like being a bit overdramatic in my discipline.)

“One person. That is all I am.”  ( At this point, I’m sure he’s trying to think of somewhere he needs to go.)

You see, I forget so easily and I get so mad at myself for doing it. I forget that this is my calling, actually all of our callings. We are servants, called to pour out our lives for others, and in motherhood, those others are our children. When I let myself forget that, then I become the victim in my own eyes, offended that my children are children. Somehow distraught that this thing called mothering is training for a lifetime.

I was pondering this a couple months ago during communion at our church. We take communion every Sunday and it is something that I have grown to love. This remembering what Christ did for us keeps it on the forefront of my heart during the week. His brokenness, not only in His death, but also how He lived His life, is our example. If I am truly His, then I am joining myself with Him in this, taking up my cross, dying to myself and my own needs, and living for others. Now, I am not talking about putting yourself last and burning out so that you can’t even do what you need to. I will be the first one to tell any mama to take care of herself first so that she can be there for her family. I’m talking about in our hearts and souls. Seeing all the things that we do for our families, all of the needs pulling us in different directions, as gifts of sacrifice to our Lord. We are serving Him when we serve our family. We are loving Him when we love them.

We are dying to ourselves when we:

choose kindness instead of harshness

choose patience instead of frustration

choose love instead of negativity

choose a heavenly perspective instead of only seeing the here and now

choose to follow Jesus as an example, digging deep even from brokenness, to bring life to those around us

I was just finishing this up as my littlest one came running down the stairs…yet again…this time throwing himself into my arms.

“One more kiss…I love you, Mama.” Oh, so worth it, right?  Hopefully I’ll remember earlier tomorrow…