These past 6 months have felt very quiet and routine, and I have wrestled with my lack of excitement of serving God in the most ordinary of places- being a stay at home mom.

The truth is some days are filled with hugs and kisses, and other days are exhausting and not-so-glamorous. There are moments when my six year old cups my face with his hands and says, “I love you so much. You are the best mommy in the whole world!” And moments when I haven’t slept all night... and my two year old throws a temper tantrum while the boys won’t stop bickering with each other (and I’m wishing I was in a far away beach sipping on a margarita!).

Often I think I should be doing MORE for God, more to serve outside my home, more to help our family financially, more to make an impact on those hurting around me. And I have wrestled with that this year. I want to do all those things… yet I find myself today pouring myself into our children and knowing this is where I’m called to be.

‘’God had been teaching me the extraordinary strength it takes just to be ordinary. To dwell knowledgeably and hospitably in this place He has given me with my people is, in fact, an extraordinary call. He has shown me the beauty of being attentive to one person, in the mundane, again and again. In a full life of trying to do great big things for God and see His glory in great big ways, He showed me He is glorified in the small too.’’ Katie Davis Major, from her book, Daring To Hope.

These words jumped out at me when I read them in the book Daring to Hope a few weeks ago. There are days when doing laundry, changing poopy diapers, making meals, cleaning the house, etc. doesn’t feel that important or life changing. It doesn’t feel like I’m bringing God glory in doing this day to day stuff. Sometimes it is hard to do it over and over again with joy. But I am learning that even in the most mundane and routine of places, in the unseen places of everyday life, God is still there, and He sees.

I’ve felt God whisper to me this year to love the people around me well. To not love them half-heartedly, or give them half of my attention while keeping my eyes somewhere else.

‘’What really counts will be the quiet devotion practiced in our own homes. What will matter most at the end of our lives are the people right in front of us who get to see all of it- the happy stories and the tragic ones, the pretty good parts of us and the ugliest part of us. At the end of time all that will count is that we lived the gospel with our very lives, that we paid attention to the people God gave us.’’ Katie Davis Major- Daring To Hope.

Yes, I want to serve God in an extraordinary way, but he seems to be calling me to serve Him in the ordinary. While He may call me to something else in the future, today I will find joy and excitement in this very place!

Carolina Briggs

Lives in Valrico, Florida with her husband Steve and is a mama to four children- Andrew (in heaven), Jack (8), Palmer(6) and Lillian (2) . She enjoys blogging, spending time with her family, and sharing the story Jesus is writing out in her life. Carolina is connected to the original Agape Moms in Lithia, FL.

Serving God in the Ordinary