I look down at my shoes, worn black Vans, and rub the dried formula off the toe. I hastily tuck my hair behind my ears and catch my baby girl smiling at me from the corner of my eye. I move to the stove to look down at the oatmeal I'm making for breakfast, stirring in raisins and obscene amounts of peanut butter to try to hold off the request for a snack for at least a couple hours.  

There's this thing I've noticed when you become a mom, it happens abruptly beginning with the first night of the first babe, yet I'd be willing to bet that most moms don't even notice it happening. It's subtle, a common thread among all of motherhood - but one that would rather not be noticed, not be plucked out and put on display.

"See needs and meet them."

My mom pounded this phrase into me as a kid. All she had to do was say, "see needs..." and I knew what she was going to say and (more importantly) what she meant. Today, I'm finding myself repeating that phrase to my children. Whether it's someone needing a tissue because they're crying, a cabinet door that needs shut, or toys spread across the floor that need cleaned up, my prayer for my children is they will grow to be people that see needs – and instead of waiting for someone to ask them to help – they are the first to stand up and help without ever being asked.

Shopping for peaches (especially in the winter months) is so challenging. As you survey the bin of fruit, you'll notice a wide array of options...

✴︎ Some will be shriveled and rotten-looking (Ew...definitely don't want those).
✴︎ Some will look good overall, with a few bruises that you'll have to consider cutting-off. (Is this viable and worth the money?)
✴︎ Some will be near-perfect and you'll eagerly drop them into your bag. (Yum!)
✴︎ And some will look awesome, but when you get them home and dig in, they might be brown and flavorless inside (bummer...)

While this experience rings true at the grocery store, it also somewhat rings true as we pick-through Christian resources for motherhood.

In light of this week's show on discerning if a resource is helpful, edifying and/or gospel-centered, here are some good checks to work through about a particular resource.

I think every person has a desire to see results - to feel like something is happening from our efforts, that they're making a difference. We are a culture of instant gratification after all. But when all you're doing most of the day is picking up fuzz, crumbs and toys off the floor, it can be hard to see the value. It feels very ... small. But the truth is, motherhood is not small work. It is a slow process, one that isn't obvious or grand to the world - it takes stamina, patience and vision - but the results are things legacies are made of. 

My motherhood is filled with lofty expectations, that often leave me with anger, frustration, and irritability. The truth is that I'm utterly and completely limited in my humanness. I'm not able. Only Jesus is.

Mama, your theology matters. No, it doesn't feel like it makes any difference when you are sleep deprived, bouncing a fussy infant, sending a disobedient toddler to time-out, picking cheerio crumbs out of your rug, or wiping up a potty-training accident. But is that really the case? Have you ever stopped to think about how your theology - the belief system that anchors your life - is a subtle guide that directs much of what you do?