The hot tea was poured and the strawberry apple pie was cooling on the counter, warm from the oven.
My dear friend-in-motherhood sipped her tea and sighed. She began to tell me that she finds her days of being a mother, wife, homemaker and homeschooler tedious, frustrating and full of do-overs. You know those days, those long ardorous days of cleaning, feeding, making meals, rearing children, disciplining, teaching, correcting, cleaning … I certainly know those days. All the tasks involved with a stay at home mother, yes, they can feel rather challenging as it is a on a repeat cycle for most days.
“I feel like my days are just do-overs … every day, just doing the same thing over and over and not getting anywhere,” she had said.
Her words sank into my heart. And while I understood and completely felt her pain, the statement of “just do-overs” weighed heavy on my mind and heart. Over the next few weeks, I could not shake those words – “just do-overs” – from my memory day after day, weeks after our little visit.
When it came time for me to sweep the dusty kitchen floor for the 4th time since breakfast one morning, that little phrase of “I’m just doing do-overs all the time!” popped into my head.
Humph. I felt grumpy. Just another do-over. I sighed.
And when I cleaned the back school room, picking up crayons and cut up scraps of paper, knowing I still had two loads of laundry (daily!) to tackle before naps and dinner preparation, I heard those words again.
“Just doing do-overs.”
It was not long before I began to feel a bad attitude, a self pitying mentality, creep into my head.
Yes, every day I sweep. I clean, I tidy, prepare breakfast, change diapers, do math, make lunch and dinner, clean up breakfast, lunch and dinner, wash floors, organize cupboards, plan homeschooling days … the list goes on. I’m sure you know all the tasks that are repeated in your own life. Whether you are a stay at home mom, a homeschooling mom or an older mom, we have repeat work cycles set on auto pilot most days.
But these words, this self-pitying attitude … it was dragging me down. I suddenly felt easily discouraged and started to feel a bit of sorrowful attitude over all the tasks that loomed ahead of me day after day.
Was this attitude of self-pity godly and uplifting? No, it was wrong, my friends. I quickly realized I needed to go to Scripture to change my outlook. We need to look at our tasks that are involved in motherhood as a blessing, not a do-over. Yes, we must repeat the same daily chores multiple times, but what job does not require such actions? Even when I worked outside the home, my day was filled with do -overs. It does not matter what your job or employment is, it would seem that your day would be filled with do-overs. With prayer, I gave this phrase up and cleared it from my memory and mind, thanking God outloud, verbally, when I was faced with another daily task that had already been accomplished that day or that week.
I will tell myself … it is a JOY to serve my little child, my family, my husband … when it is time to clean up the dinner mess and lead the little ones into a lovely warm bath before bedtime stories, I will chose to do it without grumbling or complaining. I will chose to make it my joy make dinner each and every day for my family – or fold their freshly washed laundry, wipe smudgy hand prints off the kitchen glass door and read stories in the twilight of a January evening.
Yes, these are do-overs.
But aren’t you so glad you are blessed with such an opportunity to do-over every day? I surely am, as I know some days, even yes, today, I am short with my patience and need to learn to show love and grace more freely.
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23
Dear friends, I am not writing this as a judgement, but writing this as an encouragement.
Let us set our eyes on Heavenly purposes, let us take our weary souls to Him to find rest. Let us see the joy in the every day messes of meal clean up and bed making, the servanthood of being a mother and wife to a husband God has given you and children He has blessed you with, embrace the frustrating messes and dirty back door rugs that need cleaning 40 times a time during the fall muddy season, and let us see the bigger picture in the everyday “do-overs”.
Another verse that I have pinned on my mirrors and fridge (which you can download free here) …
On this note of do-overs, please, let us remind ourselves that our husbands have do-over days as well. While perhaps a few husbands may have rather-exciting jobs, most men go to work daily to provide a roof over their family’s head, to provide financially and their day, too, is filled with do-overs. Rarely do I hear my husband complain of such tasks at hand.
P.S. Would you like a great way to have pies anytime you wish? Here is a great recipe for bulk pie dough that will freeze well and make pies easily with little time.
Recipe for a bulk pie dough:
18-20 cups of all purpose flour
3 1/4 lbs. of butter (or shortening, if you wish)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons vinegar
4 eggs
2 cups water
Using your largest mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in your butter/shortening using a pastry cutter or two knives.
Cut together until your flour mixture appears crumbly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together {cold} water, eggs & vinegar.
Slowly add the liquid mixture to the flour.
Be careful not to overwork your dough.
Once the dough is formed, rolled into a large dough ball (still inside the bowl) and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle your work surface with a smidge of flour. Divide your dough into 5 parts and then into 20 somewhat equal dough balls. Cover each dough ball with plastic wrap and place in a ziploc baggies. Your pie dough can freeze for quite a few months.
Once you are ready to make a pie, simply allow your pie dough to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Easy as pie! 🙂
by Gigi
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