Loving and Serving Like a Mother

Christina Antus shares what she's learned (and is still learning) about serving as a mother.

Aren’t I a saint because of all I do for my ungrateful family? 

It sounds kind of rotten when you hear it that way, right? 

But how many of us have felt that way? 

*slowly raises her hand

*slowly raises her other hand

*sits on the floor and raises both feet 

That statement was something someone recently said to me as an example for how people tend to run off the ramp when asking what they sacrifice for their family. You ask the question and they dramatically fall to the floor, Academy-award style. 

“Today the children spilled orange juice while the baby ran across the toast he threw on the floor. There were so many crumbs! I had to clean them ALL. There’s now jelly on the area rug. My coffee was cold and I haven’t finished it. It’s 2:00 PM and nobody cares.” 

*slowly, but safely, falls to the floor until completely lying down.

Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic. 

But sometimes it kind of feels like that. 

Sometimes we feel swallowed in our home and overwhelmed with so many people asking for so many things. We are a need-factory constantly expected to continually pump out whatever everyone else needs, wants, expects, requires etc. We do it with few to no breaks, let alone appreciation. 

Someone once told me motherhood was a thankless job. 

It’s true. 

But God didn’t make mothers to be thanked. 

He made them to serve. 

Hand and foot. 

Give, give, give. 

The more we give the more we are asked to keep giving ... and when does it stop? 

It doesn’t.

Because that’s motherhood. 

That’s serving. 

That’s life. 

That’s what loving others is truly all about. 

Or what it’s supposed to be, anyway.

Motherhood was designed by God and God never misses a detail. He did not forget to appreciate all the little things that you do and that I do. When everyone in our house takes us for granted, shows zero appreciation, or complains for the 97th time about what you chose to cook for dinner, God sees and He appreciates. Even if you are the only one who eats said dinner, I think if God ate He would join you. 

Sometimes, you have to stop in the middle of the chaos storm, hold up the training underpants your child ditched before they decided to go behind the couch, and say to God, “You appreciate this. I know you see what I’m doing and you so appreciate it.”

Click to tweet:
God didn’t make mothers to be thanked. He made them to serve. #catholicmom

At the end of the day, that is all that matters.

Moms, we are like burning candles that continually glow and give light until we have burned through all the wax and our flame is gone. That is the joy and burden of motherhood. The double-edged price we pay and a cost none of us would ever trade to have our child-less lives back. God gave us the family we have because He knew we were the best ones to care for it. No matter how weird, crazy, awkward, perfect, or chaotic that family may be, it’s ours to care for.

A gift He specifically made just for us.

Sometimes we see the rewards now, and we feel them with the love we do get back. But I think most of our reward will come after this life is over and we can look at the entire scene from the perspective that God does and see it all come together as a whole. The point of it all will be so clear. It’s hard to see the whole movie in the middle of filming.

So hang in there, mom!

You’re doing awesome!

I am too, sometimes. Not always, but that’s okay.

Maybe your kids don’t really know if you aren’t doing okay, but God does, and He appreciates you anyway. Now, put the training underpants in the washing machine, go take care of whatever ended up behind that couch, and celebrate like a mother!

Copyright 2021 Christina Antus
Images: Canva Pro