Trifles

We have a Focus on the Family daily encouragement calendar in our bathroom and yesterday's little devotion had some good food for thought that I'm still thinking about. "The building blocks for a child's future emotional and physical stability are clearly being laid moment by moment, stone upon stone, precept upon precept." I have been reflecting on how mothering, at this stage, with four children, five and under, is so "in the present," yet it impacts the future in profound ways. I find many moments are filled with little things that are very important to my children's social and behavioral development and their personal sense of rightness and balance. However, so many of those moments are when I'm not thinking about the growth that is taking place.

Character issues that need immediate attention, a spill in the kitchen, a book that needs to be read, someone needs a drink, or needs to go potty, or a diaper needs to be changed, or the laundry needs to be switched or folded, or someone got hurt and needs a kiss, or it's time to work on reading, or music, or writing, or math or... Mealtimes can often seem like a swirl of stories and jokes and chatting and admonitions to "eat with your fork," or, "chew with your mouth closed," or, "don't stand up while we're eating..."

I am still reading Servant of Slaves, a biography on John Newton, and was struck by Wilberforce telling Newton how we make trifles important and trifle with the important. My life seems very full of trifles right now. Yet in the midst of these trifles I am a central part of my children's exposure to the God of the Universe. I get to mold their worldview at the tender ages they are in. I get to encourage interest in others. I get to start a foundation in character; compassion, gratefulness, truthfulness, initiative, cleanliness, self-control... I get to help them learn how to deal with frustrating situations, how to be kind in spite of how they're feeling, to give honor and speak kindly, even when they're feeling grumpy. I get to teach kind, edifying words. My list of things that I get to be actively involved in these little lives goes on and on.

So, the trifles in my life may be runny noses and sticky floors, but these trifles are giving me a key into the important, if I let them! My children's hearts and lives are so mold-able right now and the important things must come in spite of the trifles of our everyday life. They see how I respond to spilled milk. They see me when I am tired and irritable. Am I demonstrating a yielded life? Are they learning how to positively respond to negative situations?

Lord, may You use the little trifles in my life to establish the important in my children. In spite of so many trifles in our life, may we keep our eyes focused on the Important. Let me be "faithful in these little things" so that there will be precious people prepared for Your service.