As a stay-at-home mom with a toddler, there are days when my plate feels almost too full. I try to keep a clean house, a happy toddler, and make sure my teen doesn’t feel neglected with all of my other chores.
On days when both my children need my attention at the same time, I will admit that housework tends to fall behind. On those days, my husband (usually innocently) asks about the house, unaware of the stress filled land mine he is about to step on.
Recently I had to have surgery and would not be able to lift more than 10 pounds for the next two weeks. My husband took time off from work to help me recover and look after our toddler.
Leading up to the surgery, I was excited! He was going to finally see what I did every day, running after a toddler, keeping the house clean, and making sure our teenager felt included and loved.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. I found myself still running around the house tidying up (mom, if you are reading this, I know I should have been resting! I couldn’t help myself!) and heard my husband asking our teen daughter for help. How was this fair!? I keep the house by myself every day and he had help?
While praying about this, it dawned on me. I wanted my husband to “see” what I did every day so that I could receive praise. I wanted him to praise me because what I do as a mom is hard. But praise should not be the reason why I work hard as a stay-at-home mom.
Matthew 6:6 reminds us that God sees us when we do things “in secret”, or when we do things that we don’t advertise to others, and rewards us. As mothers and wives, much of what we do during the day goes unnoticed. Sometimes, we maintain our houses so well that our family seems to forget how hard we work in order to keep it functioning. That does not mean that they don’t appreciate it, they just don’t know.
It is wonderful to be praised. It is especially wonderful to be praised by your husband. However, we should not be angry, bitter, or upset if our loved ones don’t praise us when we would like it. Instead, we should remember that God sees us. Besides, for me, there is little more rewarding than the joy of taking care of my family!
Mommy's Prayer 