Ever feel like an invisible mama?
You make dinner. And nobody breathes a word of thanks. You do the laundry. And it’s like it just magically showed up on the laundry counter all clean and folded. You drive to and from, and here and there, and then back again. But not one single person hosts a verbal parade in your honor.
What’s wrong with this family, you begin to think.
Why is no one saying, “Thank you” these days?
Have I raised a whole generation of ingrates?!
And then you open your bible and Jesus says the most absurd thing: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
Servant of all? Are you kidding me? Why in the world would I train my children to think of me as Cinderella? Their future spouses will want to murder me. Not to mention that I’m not doing them any favors in being their mom slave.
Then you read on: “Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but him who sent Me.” (Mark 9:37)
Say what? So not only am I supposed to be last of all and servant of all, but now I’m in the receiving business? What does that even mean?
So you grab your ESV Study Bible and begin to pour over this particular section of Scripture. The word Receiving is described as “Humbly caring for people…out of obedience to Christ.”
Ouch! Humble. Caring. Obedient. For Christ. That’s a tall order.
But not too tall for God.
And then it hits you. The common thread: In My name … and receives Me.
When we work like we’re working for the Lord, suddenly we want to make a fabulous filling dinner. Jesus, the Savior of the world? At our dinner table? Wowzuh! And of course we want to do a good job with God’s laundry. Let’s clean those shirts and socks until they’re white as snow! And who said anything about too much time in the car? Nah! We would gladly drive Jesus anywhere!
Everything begins to revolve around Him.
It’s in Him that we have our very being.
He becomes our fuel. Our source of life. Our source of love.
That’s right, mom. We are seriously loved! Even though we may not always feel like it.
And we are not forgotten! He promises that He will “never leave us or forsake us.”
The God who sees every single hair on your head, cares deeply for you.
The next time you’re tempted to complain that you feel like the Invisible Mom, remind yourself of these two little things:
We do it all IN HIM. And FOR HIM. We wipe sticky counters and stinky bottoms out of love. And we LOVE because He first loved us.
So never fear, precious mama. He knows everything you’re doing. You are not invisible to the King of Kings. For He is El Roi – The God Who Sees.
Anne-Renee Gumley
Latest posts by Anne-Renee Gumley (see all)
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I needed this reminder today, thank you!
Me too, Kelly! Motherhood can so often feel like a thankless job. It’s such a comfort to know that God sees ALL. Thanks for sharing! Hugs for your day… ~ Anne-Renee