When I was a little girl, my mom had a framed cross-stitch piece that said:
Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.
Y’all, I don’t have much experience shoveling snow, but I can imagine it feels much like picking up Legos. As soon as you think you’re finished, you turn around and step on one more.
Laundry and dishes work the same way, too. Without fail, as soon as I press start on the dishwasher, someone puts a dirty dish in the sink.
It feels like nothing is ever finished, and all my effort is wasted.
And, that’s just the little things.
What about the time and energy I spend trying to teach my kids right from wrong, only to have to tell them ONE MORE TIME?
What about reading emails from suffering sisters on the other side of the world?
What about when we see sin succeed?
Sometimes, we want to throw our hands up and ask, “What’s the point?”
Why keep trying when there seems to be no triumph?
Because the discouragement is deceiving.
We may feel defeated today, but “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
You see, we might lose a battle, but he has won the war. So don’t give up. What you do every day matters. It might not seem like much, but it matters.
Because of why you do it.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Your work is not wasted. No matter how small it might seem. No matter how discouraged you may feel. Your purpose is a person, and He is infinitely worth your effort.