In May, I gave birth to our beautiful son, Joseph. In this short-lived adventure of parenthood, I have been filled with many emotions, but the one that caught me the most off guard was how much joy I have found in the extremely ordinary bodily functions of my child. It’s no fun to watch your child have an upset stomach—whether the cause is gas, lack of burps, or any other mystery. So in my futile attempts to relieve my son’s pain, I have found myself cheering Joseph on for every fart, burp, or bowel movement he has. I envision the excitement is equivalent to how I’ll feel one day watching him score points in a sporting event.
In all the anticipation of what parenthood would be like, joy in my son’s bodily reactions was something I never expected. Yet, here we are. The beauty, though, has been slowing down enough to be able to pray through these messes and find the hidden graces in the ordinariness of it all. And I think that’s something we can all relate to right now.
When Life is Less Than Ideal…
We have all just experienced hands down the strangest ending to Lent, the entire Easter season, and the beginning of Ordinary Time that we will probably ever experience in our lives. No one could participate in Holy Week festivities in person, we attended Mass online for several months, and now we’re strangely able to worship in a church again, yet it’s extremely unconventional—masks, distancing, and no music. And let’s not even get started on the riots.
I think we all probably agree this is not the ideal situation whatsoever—it can be rather overwhelming at times. But if there is one thing I have learned in the weeks I’ve been a mother, it’s that God can make joyful grace out of ordinary, less-than-ideal situations.
Pausing From the Busyness
If you’re anything like me, it can be a struggle to pause and be still in the mundane. Here are a few tips that have helped me to remain joyful in the midst of motherhood and a global pandemic:
- Return to Scripture. Never have I been more convicted than now to draw near to our Heavenly Father through His Eternal Word, and what joy it has brought me—even during the middle of the night nursing! Start simple and small, but just start regardless. The fruit will be drawing joy and hope daily from the Lord. For me, I started with the Gospel of Mark and have been praying through a chapter a day—I invited my husband to join me and we have had the best conversations lately about our prayer! So invite a friend to join you if you need and allow the Lord to re-convict your heart.
- Seek Out Opportunities for (Re)conversion. Our conversion is an on-going process. We do not have a one-and-done come-to-Jesus moment and never fall into sin again. We’re human; we’re frail; we’re sinful by nature of original sin. So we are in constant need of God’s mercy. And praise Him for the abundance of His Mercy! “The Lord’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)!” For my Catholic brothers and sisters, how long has it been since you last received the Sacrament of Reconciliation? RUN to your Father’s loving arms! Pray the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
- Reflect on the Life of the Holy Family. We can learn a lot from them in the hidden graces of ordinary life and situations that aren’t perfect. Mary was a young girl betrothed to Joseph—which essentially means engaged—when she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. I can only imagine how difficult this situation must have been! Yet, with complete courage and trust in God, she said, “Let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38).” Once Jesus was born, we hear little to nothing of the events that took place in their ordinary lives. This is my favorite part of their story—entering into it in prayer to imagine what the mundane day-to-day was like for Mary and Joseph while raising Jesus. I’m sure it was very similar to what my life looks like now—many diaper changes, comforting snuggles, joyful giggles, feeling helplessly frustrated at times, and cheering on “movements.”
Prioritize Your Soul
Not one human could ever have imagined we would be living in absolute chaos right now. Yet, God knew it was coming. He knew this time was on the horizon and so will use it to bring about his glory. He will not stop our free will, but wants to use the events in our lives to point us to him. He created you and I for this time, this place, and this generation to make a difference in history.
He needed us to have this time of quarantine to slow down our lives and realize what is truly important—our eternal souls. When we take the time to pause the busyness of our lives, we’re able to truly care for our souls and thus find the joy in the extremely ordinary, yet unusual times in which we are living. Whatever season of life you find yourself, take the time to find joy each day in the mundane tasks that lie ahead by nurturing your soul.
Your to-do lists will never end, but your earthly existence will. Taking care of your eternal soul is the single most important task you can do. Once this becomes a priority in your life, you’ll be surprised at the ordinary graces God gifts you with to bring joy to your life—such as cheering on a gassy baby. It is through these ordinary daily graces that God will be able to create new saints! Let’s be saints, my friends.
All My Love,
