Some of the greatest problems of the world are almost solved while a child naps. His mother, in these rare special moments of quiet and solitude, can almost get lots of things accomplished. But, every project or great thought she tries to focus on begins to get off the ground right as she hears her child stirring. And, because she is a mother, the project, the great thought, and her own interests are put aside to go and comfort and be with her child.
And after this happens several hundred times, the mother begins to realize that her greatest thoughts, her greatest interest, and her greatest project actually come, not from the quiet alone moments, but from the chaotic or challenging or giggling hours and days and months and years spent with her child. She finds that she understands so much more about mankind. She experiences the grace of God on a new level. And she has many, many great and lofty and imaginative and breath-taking thoughts that most people will never hear or understand.
Because she is busy being a mother.
The nose wiping, the bump kissing, the lunch making and the vomit cleaning are all necessary evils, and honestly, they don’t bother her much. Her focus is elsewhere. She sees light in her child’s eyes. She sees a beautiful, shiny little soul. She sees love– honest-to-goodness, who-cares-if-you-have-makeup-on, you’re-my-favorite-of-all-time, heart-breaking, heart-aching, gorgeous, generous, gracious, life-giving love.
And it brings out the best in her.
So, when you see her struggling at the mall with her three year old, when you see her dropping off a crying baby at the church nursery, when you see her covered in spit up or walking in to the doctor’s office with a child on her hip and a bowl in her hand, stop and admire her. She has many, many heart-splitting moments ahead of her. And she dives in with her eyes wide open. Because the mother knows that in the deep waters she will swim.
