“Which hand?” My three-year-old stood facing me, hiding both fists behind her back. Her eyes sparkled, and a wry smile teetered on her lips.
“Hmmm. . .” I played along, tapping my fingertip on my chin. “This one.” I pointed to her left arm.
“Yes!” She swung her fist around and opened her palm. Nestled in the crook of her hand sat two tiny yellow flowers, each just millimeters wide but perfectly formed and detailed—delicate saffron petals with green stems like trailing embroidery threads. She turned her wrist and emptied the flowers into my hand.
“Sweetheart, these are beautiful!”
“They’re for you, Momma! I found them outside. I love you! Bye bye!” And off she ran, back to her toys and grassy yard adventures. I sat in my office chair studying those dainty gifts, so small and ordinary and yet—they might as well have been diamond earrings, precious as they were to me.
Sometimes the little gifts mean the most.
I need to remember that.
On the days when I feel like I have nothing to offer God. When my floor sweeping and lunch packing and smiley-face toast making seems pathetic compared to grander pursuits. I mean, I’m not building an orphanage in Haiti. I’m not writing the next revolutionary book or praise song (yet). I’m not giving millions to world outreach. Heck, I’m not even making the money that pays for the Cheerios in my daughter’s breakfast bowl.
I’m just being a mom. Getting up every day and praying that God will help me to honor him with the way I treat my family. Putting one foot ahead of the other, one breath after the last, wiping those bottoms and cutting those crusts and texting “I love you” to my husband.
I am so very small and ordinary.
But to God, I am enormously special.
And so are you.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” (2 Timothy 1:9).
Wow. Think about that. God called us—he chose us (before time even began!)—to live . . . what? A mundane, nothing-to-offer life? No.
A holy life.
And not because we’ve done anything magnificent to prove ourselves. What we call ordinary—the carpooling, casserole-baking, homework-helping life—God calls purposeful. He calls it holy.
Huh.
Imagine that.
Yes, you’re a mom. And that means what you do matters. God sees it. He values it. He knows your heart and he gives you your blessings. Try counting them today, and see if you don’t start to agree that this small and ordinary life is holy indeed.
Later that day, my daughter pressed her hands against my cheeks and leaned in until our noses touched. “Momma? Did you love those flowers? The pretty ones from outside?”
“Oh yes, sweetheart. They are very special.”
“I just know you love them, Mom.”
“You do? How do you know?”
She patted my face with her palm and gazed straight into my eyes. “Because they’re from me.”
Ah. Sweet girl. She gets it.
* * * * * * * *
Linking up with Holley at:
SPECIAL NOTE: Welcome to the new look! If you’ve been reading Time Out for a while, you’ll notice we got a face lift over the weekend. Many thanks to Laura at Pixel Me Designs for her fast and friendly design skills. Along with the new digs comes a new URL, which is now simply www.beckykopitzke.com. (No more BlogSpot . . . we’re on WordPress now!) If you’re a subscriber, posts will continue to come to your inbox as usual. If you happened to get a funny e-mail from me last weekend, my apologies; I’m still working out some kinks. Click here to pop over to the blog for a peek. And if you don’t subscribe by e-mail yet, now is the perfect time to do it. Just scroll up a bit and find that fancy “Subscribe” box on the right and enter your e-mail address. I’d love to count you among my subscriber friends.
And finally, thanks to everyone who shared last week’s post and entered to win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Wives. Winners by random drawing are: Janet (commented on the blog Sept. 16, 8:03 a.m.), and Heather Lipe. Ladies, please send me your mailing address to becky (at) beckykopitzke (dot) com, and I’ll ship that book out to you ASAP. Blessings to you all!
Linking up with: The Better Mom, Playdates With God, Momma Notes, Titus 2sdays, Wedded Wednesday, Women Living Well, Grace at Home, Thriving Thursdays, Out of the Blue, and Things I Can’t Say.
Looking Good Becky! So excited for what God is doing over here. 🙂
Thank you, Nykiah! I really appreciate your support, my friend!
Love the new look, Becky. And I think we were musing on the same themes today… thanks for the reminder that there’s nothing ordinary about ordinary life when we belong to Him.
Oh my goodness, Alicia, we LIVE these themes in parallel lives. I’m so glad we’re in it together.
Love your new blog home Becky 🙂 May God bless you here, give you peace, and use your influence widely for Him!
Thank you so much, Julie! You are a blessing to me!
You have written on such an important theme. Why do we get this so wrong, get so hung up on earthly “greatness,” thinking that matters to God? (I speak for myself and my own repeated wrestling with it.) How much more a holy life, the offering of our love, our running to Him with joy… must mean to Him. So glad we have the little children who get this, to teach us!
Oh to be a Mary who sits at his feet and knows that is enough… more than enough. Thank you for visiting and sharing your wise thoughts, Sylvia!
Love the bloggy make-over, it’s simple and inviting 🙂 I’m visiting from the Women Living Well link-up party, enjoying your post on small (not)ordinary!
Thanks for hopping over, Shannon! I’m SO glad you like the makeover. 🙂
Oh these moments really highlight what’s important, especially when we look through our children’s eyes. Those flowers are some of the sweetest tokens they’ll ever give us.
When I first clicked on your blog, I thought how nice and clean the design looked, before I read it was redone! It looks great 🙂 Visiting from Shell.
Thanks for visiting, Ashley! I appreciate your feedback on the new look!
First of all- I love the new look! 🙂
I needed to read this today. Sometimes I think what I’m doing doesn’t really matter. But just because they aren’t great big things doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
Thanks, Shell! And you’d better believe it, sister – what you do matters tremendously.
Your new look is super fresh and clean. The heart of a child is so precious. My preschooler reminds me almost on a daily basis how meaningful those small gifts are. All I have to do is open my eyes and take the time to see them.
Sometimes opening our eyes is the hard part, isn’t it? Thank you for visiting the new space and sharing your kind thoughts!
Very cute. We were walking back from the park today, and my 3 year old was lagging a bit beyond. She ran up and said, “Mom, you don’t want to lose me, because I’m your best girl!” Indeed little one.
Indeed. 🙂
Lovely words…so glad to meet you! Here from the Out of the Blue linkup. Bless you Sister!
Thank you for visiting, Lorretta! I’m glad to meet you, too!
Yay, Becky! I’m so glad to see your new look, along with a very shareable image for the post! Your posts (including this one) are so good; I’m glad for an easier way to share them. God bless you, friend!
Thank you so much, Richella! I’m taking the photo plunge… even looking into buying a better camera and taking some online classes. It’s a fun new adventure. Your support always blesses me!
Beautiful, Becky! I miss those days with the tiny hands. Your blog looks terrific btw! 🙂
Thank you, Dora! My girls are growing so fast… I’m starting to miss those days, too. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by from Holley’s place!