Dear Lindsay Letters-Priorities and Peace

Dear Lindsay,

I just want to tell you again, how proud I am of you. You do so many things well but I am mostly proud because of who you are.

I love the way I can stop in and feel like I am the only one in your life at that time. I know that many are stopping in throughout your day and you have numerous interruptions but you always make me feel like I am the best interruption you have had so far. Thank you.

If there was just one thing that I could tell young mothers, it would be this: Enjoy your children. Enjoy each stage of development. Never say, "I can't wait until ..." Be content with the self-sacrifice each day requires from you. Loving your children enough to discipline, train, and enjoy them is the greatest work you will ever do. It is not as if you are putting your life's work on hold to wait until you are finished parenting;this is your life's work and it is good. It is not a waste of time.

It is at home where we find out if we really have the gifts of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness.... It is at home where church takes place first-the bearing of another's burden, the caring enough to confront, the true loving that takes place after disillusionment, the blessing and honoring....It is at home where we learn to take the towel and wash another's feet.

Everything you do for your children, you do for Jesus. Do you get up at night and hold a frightened child? Do you get up and give a cup of water to a thirsty toddler? You are doing it for Him. Emma could be Jesus. Adi could be Jesus. Gil could be Jesus. We would be so happy to do these things for Him. Wouldn't we love to wash His dusty robe and feed Him chicken nuggets? Yes, we would.

I think we might be surprised at the rewards we get in heaven. I think we keep an inward list of the great things that we've done or want to do that might impress God someday.
I think that the rewards He gives out someday in Heaven, will have more to do with our faithfulness in the changing of diapers to keep a baby comfortable or teaching a child to pray or reading a favorite book, again. I think the rewards He gives us will have more to do with the invisible acts and attitudes of our lives rather than those things that would bring us praise in the public places we move and live.

Lindsay, as you continue to invest in your family, God will continue to invest energy and wisdom into your life and you will 'get' to do those extra things you want to do all in good time. Loving our families is not on our 'to do' list. We can never check it off once we give birth. Most other things can be checked off. But not this. Loving our families trumps any 'to do' list we may make for ourselves. If we told ourselves, "Today my priority is to love God and love my family," we'd give ourselves great freedom to enjoy our lives. Being faithful to the mundane turns the ordinary into contentment. And then, we have peace.

I love you,
Annette