Motherhood Matters

Lily and I are rocking back and forth, back and forth in the worn chair in her room.  She is stroking my neck as I pray words of affirmation and encouragement over her.  I stop and ask quietly, 'would you like to pray, Lily?'  She says yes, folds her hands and starts mumbling softly under her breath, talking to Jesus 'in her heart'.  She then prays aloud and thanks God for her 'beautiful Mommy' and her 'princess Mommy' and her Mommy that has 'beautiful hair'.  My mouth slowly turns upwards into a wide smile and I feel my eyes wet with tears. This girl of mine is saying the most wonderful things about me.  And she doesn't even know that I haven't washed my 'beautiful hair' in five days.

How in the world does my almost three year old know to pray these things?  How does she know her words bring power and meaning?  By the end of her prayer, it clicks.  She is saying these wonderful things because night after night after night I have been thanking God for her.  I thank God for the way she is kind and sweet to her brothers, how she makes us laugh, the way she is friendly to the people around her.  (I leave out: 'please help Lily to keep her hands to herself when her brother does something irritating and please, God, help her to obey when I tell her to please put on her underwear'.  Yes, I leave those out.) I have been doing this for months and my Lily has caught on and is experimenting with this thing called prayer.

Five minutes of prayer time with my Lily taught me so much.  It taught me what I do matters.  It taught me she is always watching and listening.  It taught me I absolutely have an incredible influence on each and every one of my children.

Not every day or moment is as sweet and momentous as that five minutes before bed with Lily, but everyday and every moment matters.  It matters how I respond and react and communicate with my babes.  It matters how much I tell them I love them.  It matters if my face is in front of my phone all day or my eyes are gazing their way.  These things all matter because Kevin and I are the single most influential people in their lives.  I would do well to remember that.

The simple prayer from my baby girl reminded me I am vital in Luke, Lily, and Jude's lives.  I'm not just feeding, clothing, and bathing children.  I'm not just keeping them alive from day to day.  (Although those things alone equate to a full time job.)  I am building character.  I am (hopefully) modeling Christ-like love to them and our friends and neighbors.  I am teaching them about laughter and family and making a meal and relationships and Jesus and nature and prayer.

This motherhood gig is not a runner-up career.  It's not second-best and it's not just a supporting role. It's the whole shebang.  It's important.  It's vital.  It's necessary if we want our earth populated with loving, caring, kind human beings.  Whether you are a stay-at-home momma or a momma working 9-5, your motherhood role is imperative and influential for your babes.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but sometimes we all need a reminder that being a mom is more than wiping bottoms and putting our littles in time-out. Moms matter.  Deeply and immensely.

So, if no one tells you today...

Momma, you are important.  You are loved.  Your work day in and day out for your family matters to them and to God.  You are shaping the minds and character of tomorrows mothers and fathers and teachers and scientists and aunts and cousins and neighbors and politicians and pastors and caregivers. 

Those five minutes with Lily will forever be embedded in my memory and my heart.  And if I didn't know before, I know now.  My sweet girl doesn't know the difference between five day old hair and newly washed hair. #blessherheart 

And Motherhood matters.