Living as a mom

Archive for February 26th, 2009

My ladies’ Bible study is learning about the fruit of the spirit, and today was the kick off the new study. I was struck by one thing our fearless leader talked about today. She made a distinction between bearing fruit being productive. She spoke specifically to the unique situation that stay at home moms are in. It spoke to my heart.

I am a goal oriented person. I am driven to produce high-quality work. I am a professional at heart. I want things to get done, and finishing a task gives me a sense of satisfaction. Parenting small children does not produce tangible results, though. There are days when I am beat, but I have nothing to show for it except a messy house.

The point of the lesson today was that bearing fruit does not always have an immediate product or even a tangible one. That is especially true with raising children. It can take months or even years before you see the fruit of your labor. Molding and shaping a child takes time and patience. There are days when a child need more direction and instruction than other days. Some days a child needs more nurturing. A parent never knows what a day with a child will bring.

So the dishes might have to wait while my children and I cuddle up together to read. The laundry will have to pile up while I pray with my children and answer their questions about God. And the bathroom will get cleaned another day because I am too busy teaching my kids how to apologize and forgive each other.

I am too busy producing fruit right now to worry about being productive!