Tiny pushes

I stumbled upon this quote not long ago, and I decided it was worth printing, framing, and placing right next to my computer where I can see it several times a day as a little source of encouragement.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with my inability to do anything that seems to matter these days. Like anyone with young children, a lot of my time is spent doing the same things over and over. And, when I’m feeling especially prideful, I can even start to think that my responsibilities as a mom are getting in the way of the “great and noble tasks” I should and would be accomplishing otherwise. I’m not sure what specific greatness or success I think I would be achieving if I had the freedom to pursue every dream or goal I’ve ever imagined for myself, but it’s easy to look around and feel like I’m missing out on any opportunity to do something significant or impact the world around me. What am I doing with my education? How am I using my gifts? Where am I serving in our church? What am I doing to add value and beauty to my community? And, so on… And, I don’t have good answers for those questions.

I get bored with the monotony of my days. I get frustrated with what feels like a general lack of productivity. I get discouraged by my failures to be and do what this season demands with grace and gentleness. I whine a lot. I yell at the girls a lot. I’m not even good at the simple tasks staring me in the face each day. And, how can I be tired at night when all I’ve done all day is keep the people under my care dressed, halfway fed, and fairly safe? It can sure seem like I’m just surviving.

Yet, I read this quote and I’m reminded that maybe it’s the humble little tasks that I do ~ that we all do ~ over and over that somehow eventually come together to make a difference… to be the very thing that impacts the world around us. Maybe doing the mundane with the right spirit is the “great and noble” call I need to embrace. And, even though it runs counter to the messages our society proclaims about success, maybe there can be joy and real fulfillment in doing the everyday stuff when we take a deep breath and step back far enough to catch a glimpse of the big picture. After all, it’s not about me… or you. We just have small, but no less significant parts to play in a much bigger story.

So, it’s possible that the most important thing I could be doing right now is teaching the Toddler to blow bubbles, {even though our lessons rarely end well}.

I know this to be true. I just want to grab hold of the message and live like I believe it:  tiny pushes can add up to have a big impact. And, I do believe we have a God that sees every little push… and every little bubble.