What's Your One Thing?
Hi friends! Here’s a post I shared with the Help Club for Moms online group today that has been really helpful for me to think about! I hope it spurs some creativity, thoughtfulness and hope in you too!
Hi mamas! I am loving reading about creating a loving and life-giving home in the Help Club for Moms book! I have a tendency to want to do every good idea I see and often end up defeated in a stack of unfinished DIY projects. Can anybody else relate?!?
My oldest son is preparing to go to high school, while my youngest one still rides on my hip. As I look at my boys, I often wonder what stories they will tell their children about the home they grew up in. If I keep trying to do everything, I’m afraid they will only remember a frazzled mom without much to show for it! Instead of trying all the things, I’ve decided to start small. I asked myself, “What is one area, one meal, or one routine that I want to breathe life into in our home?” For me, it was dinnertime.
I was already raising my adopted, oldest son when I met my husband. Much of our dating relationship happened at the dinner table with my attentive 7-year old, hungry for dinner and family. From the beginning, we decided that family dinners would be our home base. There are times when there’s an evening event or something doesn’t work out, but family dinner is our priority on most nights.
I often don’t prepare breakfasts or lunches and let everyone fend for themselves. I do, however, plan a week’s worth of dinners, make the grocery list and go shopping before the week begins. Each night before going to bed, I take anything I need for the following day out of the freezer. I often start cooking dinner before breakfast. I prepare two recipes per week and make enough for leftovers. That already covers four nights of the week! One night, we eat breakfast for dinner - oatmeal or eggs and toast. On Thursday nights when my husband has to work in the evenings, we order pizza and have an early “pizza party” so we still get to have our special time together. The remaining night (usually a Sunday) is a “fridge clean out” - we eat whatever is left, sometimes our plates all look different! Some nights we have a fun, extravagant menu, and some nights we eat the leftover oats from breakfast!
We’ve set a dinnertime, so everyone can be ready to sit at the table. My oldest son lays out placemats, and we do our best to create a family moment by sharing our highs and lows for the day. It can get tricky when you throw a toddler in the mix, but there’s usually something to laugh about!
I put a lot of work into that one thing and less work into many of the other things. You don’t have to do it all, mama. Remember the heart of creating a home is bringing heaven to earth under the one roof we’ve been entrusted with. Jesus gently reminded his beloved friend Martha of that truth when she felt exasperated from trying to do everything and losing sight of the one thing that mattered. Mama, if you’re like me, and it’s hard for you to focus on only one thing, ask God to help you. Ask the Lord to help you keep your heart focused on Him and show you just one way to glorify God in your home this week.
“The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” Luke 10:41-42 TPT
