Why Our Ordinary Days Matter

A friend of my shared recently how a scene in a popular movie (I won’t name which one) bothered her. It is a fun, beautiful, and encroaching movie, but one scene had me pausing as well. In this scene, one character invited  another character to leave his “ordinary” life for a life way more exciting.

As a mother, some days I wish someone would take me away too. My youngest sister is unmarried and works for an airline company. In turn, she gets to travel all around the world having adventures. Many times I’ve envied her life, wishing for more….

After ten years of motherhood I’ve found the ordinary days are the ones which matter most. Why? Because these children I’m raising, they will spend eternity somewhere. And their lives will have influence. What kind of influence do I want to have on those around me? 

If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I talk a lot about the glorious ordinary – a phase from Oswald Chambers. Did you know this man, who inspired so many men and women, died in his forties? His life was never about exotic places and some would say “incomplete.” But his work for God mattered. Here is another quote from him:

We look for visions from heaven, for earthquakes and thunders of God’s power (the fact that we are dejected proves that we do), and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and people around us. If we will do the duty that lies nearest, we shall see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes when we learn that it is in the commonplace things that the Deity of Jesus Christ is realized. (February 7)

Never did I dream I would find God in the trenches of motherhood, but here He is. The people, the children around me, are reminders of God’s deity. How I live my ordinary days matter to them. I don’t need to travel to Africa or Asia to be drawn to God and find Him, I need only pull up a chair to my dining room table.

Everyday after I take my boys to school, I pull up a chair to our wooden table (after wiping off the crumbs from breakfast). Next, my sweet girl gets out her handwriting pages. We chat together as she traces her letters and blends. Teaching her to read and add in kindergarten this year has been such a blessing. Little did I know how special those mornings would be!

One of the most exciting things I’ve come to realize is: teaching my children is a 365 job. When we move to the mission field sometime next year, I’ll be teaching all five of my children at home. The job can feel daunting, but being a homeschooling momma now for six years, I’ve realized homeschooling can be drudgery too. Everyday we have to get up and “do school.”

Until I stumbled upon Elizabeth’s (from This Little Home of Mine) newest book, Lifestyle Homeschooling. In this amazing resources she shares her story of how homeschooling is woven into her everyday life with her little ones.

She writes: When my first child was two-years old, I began weaving learning opportunities into our days together. This was the beginning of our embracing a lifestyle of homeschooling. In the years since, our family has grown, and in many ways, our life has changed; but one constant remains: this very natural dance of teaching and learning that our family has discovered along the way, and I am so excited about sharing with you what that looks like for us.

Juggling it all, especially the mundane moments, are not for the faint of heart. Sometimes we feel like we can’t do it another day. Find help! Get some encouragement on your journey. Elizabeth has been teaching for years and homeschooling for five years now. I’ve learned so much from her, and I can’t wait for you to read this book.

ORDER A COPY HERE.

It is not our goal to simply do school at home but to nurture a life-long love of learning and a natural bent toward serving others. Our days are not dictated by the curriculum we’ve chosen but by a passion to successfully equip our children for life. (Elizabeth, Lifestyle Homeschooling)

The curriculum isn’t as important as the heart behind it. Only would recommend products I LOVE, and I’ve been able to read this book and highly recommend it. I do receive a commission if you purchase through my link, but I would share it with you whether I got a penny or not!

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE for just $10! 

One last quote, from OC himself:

Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.