If you read my posts, you would know by now I am a routine gal. I love routine; I find comfort in the process of routine and as a mum, my children also find security in the dependable routines. Yet sometimes, I find moments when life seems a little mundane. Another morning rolls around and before you know it, dinner preparation begins and life seems repetitive. I can become down and irritated. I become frustrated that there isn’t a holiday or something to look forward to on the horizon and I can catch myself having my ‘moments’ (otherwise known as a grown-up tantrum). When these moments come around, how do we find hope? How do we drag ourselves out of them?
It is in these times that I realise that like the clouds that cover up the brilliance of the sun; my mundane has given me amnesia. I have forgotten my purpose. I have forgotten my pursuit. I have forgotten my passion.
1. I need to remember my PURPOSE
King Solomon knew mundane. It may surprise us, considering he had everything in the worldly sense that he could want. He was wealthy, he was popular, he was wise. Yet after trying to find his purpose in all things the world had to offer, he came to a pivotal conclusion.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
– Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14
In these verses, we read that Solomon concluded man’s purpose was to fear God, love Him, serve Him, glorify Him and keep God’s commandments.
When life seems mundane, my eyes have slipped from this God-honouring purpose and instead have ended up right at my navel. I’m doing a good dose of navel-gazing, thinking about how ‘tough’ I have it, or how I long for this or that.
And hasn’t this been the problem with humanity from the beginning? Adam and Eve stopped looking at God and enjoying Him and instead started looking at their circumstances and temptations. They desired selfishly and in this became self-focused instead of God-focused.
2. I need to remember my PURSUIT
As this blog is titled, our pursuit needs to be God. We can pursue wealth, we can pursue popularity, we can pursue notoriety. As mothers, we can pursue the next nap time or desire to have our child’s party or home be classified as ‘Pinterest-worthy’. As women, we can pursue a certain body image or number on the scales. As workers, we can pursue promotion or a monetary-bonus. As people, we can pursue enjoyment or happiness.
The problem with all these pursuits is that they are circumstantial. They bring us happiness for the short term yet they are fleeting and eventually all slip through our fingers or come to an end for none can be taken into eternity.
As we find ourselves in these mundane moments, are we looking at what we are called to be- disciples to make disciples. Whether this disciple making occurs in my own home with my young children or outside in the circles I mix in, as I look at what Jesus’ has called our mission to be, we lift our eyes. In doing this, we are reminded that God is on the job and is in the work of changing us.
As Psalm 121 says,
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
3. I need to remember my PASSIONS
God has delighted in giving us gifts and abilities to use for His glory. When our eyes are off ourselves and onto Him, we too can experience delight in using these gifts for His pleasure and for ours. Over the last few years, I have realised how important taking moments to enjoy God, the world He has made and the person He has made me to be. As His image-bearer, there are things that I do that give me glimpses into the characteristics of God.
If I am filling my life to the brim with doing, and have no time to pause, reflect and appreciate life being my grateful heart can turn into a cranky heart and my loved ones can bear the brunt of it.
While I find the whole “take time to look after yourself” a little contrived at times, I do see the wisdom in ensuring that we are taking moments to be grateful and enjoy the blessings in life that God has given us. For me, cooking a nice meal, creating something, or even finding satisfaction in a cleaned bathroom can help my focus shift and attitude change accordingly. Instead of self-focused ‘woe is me,’ my attitude can change by looking for moments that bring me joy.
