A Mom's Kitchen Sink Spirituality

I wonder how many battles are fought--and won--

by moms over kitchen sinks?

I was standing at the sink yesterday doing dishes since Rose, who usually does breakfast dishes,

had stayed overnight with friends.
And I was thinking--as usual.
I'd just talked recently to a dear friend who, at age 38, is marrying a farmer.
And they are both so happy!
And I was thinking about a dream I've had that I have treasured--
about my children.

How my husband and I gave each one of them to the Lord before they were even born.
They were given to the Lord--not to the world.
To the Lord--not to just live the American dream.
And I had a dream for my children.

But there over the kitchen sink I'm surrendering my children--

and my dreams for them.

I surrender

to His dream for them.

"If you want them to be farmers, Lord," I breathe as I wipe that dish

and scrub that iron skillet,

"I'm giving up my dream, in case it doesn't match Yours."

How many large and small battles are won by moms

who are doing dishes

or practicing the bells of an acquaintance for the church Easter service

or dust mopping the dust bunnies from above the wood stove

and clearing away spider webs (and maybe even spiders)

and clearing the table after a buckwheat pancake breakfast?

Big battles that are won with a small surrender.
Just a simple, "Your will be done, Lord."

I don't have to have my way.
I just want Your way.
And if my idea of Your way isn't correct,
change my idea of Your way.

 God is as creative (or certainly more so)
than my children who can come up with the most amazing ways to amuse themselves,
like by placing cups and glasses under the plastic table cloth
and fill the valleys with water and then run play cars through the water!
God has a unique dream for each person--
like our dear friends Jason and Joanna Sturtevant who shared with us and other friends one Sunday afternoon recently about their work in Uganda with ROTOM--Reach One, Touch One Ministries.

Jason shared slides about his discipleship ministry with orphan boys whom he is mentoring
as he teaches a mechanics class to enable the young men to find jobs and support themselves.

Josh told about helping build mud and stick houses and share Christ with the poor.
He told about a poor lady who hadn't walked for a year.
Jason and Josh had prayed with her as she prayed to receive Jesus in her heart,
and later when Jason and Joshua came back around,
she was walking!
God had healed her as well as forgiving her sins!

Josh said he saw God's power work like it had been in the Bible!
Jason told about graduating his young men from his class, and Joanna told about her cooking class and hospitality work.
I'd love for our children to grow up to be missionaries or preachers or teachers or something full time in God's vineyard like Sturtevants are doing.

Or I'd love for them to be someone like their own daddy, who, though he has a full time remodeling job gives weeks out of his year to Mission Helps. In the photo below he's doing a skit at Arms Around the World Convention at our church a week and a half ago , about Mission Helps work in Ft. Myers, FL. Here he is wearing one of three hats he took for the skit, pretending to be the picky inspector who failed the final inspection at Ft. Myers Spanish church because the handicap ramp was 1/16 of an inch off specifications.

Jonathan and the boys are laying tile here to pretend it's the ramp that failed inspection.
[Praise God, the next day, Jonathan saw on Facebook that John Dykes had received the certificate of occupancy for this church at long last, and the church people had met that Sunday in the new church.
FINALLY!
Another inspector was upset with the first one for being so knit-picky.]

Or I would love if my children could be involved in Christian Law, or prison ministry like Bro. Steve Sturtevant,
who kept going up front to take pictures of whatever was going on!

But if He wants them to be laymen,
ranchers, farmers, carpenters, remodelers, ditch diggers, garbage truck drivers,
bus drivers, factory workers--

 engineers, secretaries,

nurses, doctors, midwives, museum managers,

or whatever--
Lord, it's Your dream for them that matters,
not mine.
Dedicated laymen are as desperately needed as full time Christian pastors and missionaries.
Ones who show up on Sunday and help with the work,
ones who are willing to contribute and carry their share of the load
and choose to keep loving the church people,
all those ornery, dump sheep like we all are,

instead of  just warming a pew and critiquing everyone and everything.
Ones who will help when there isn't any pay involved.

Your dream, Lord, not mine. 

Over the kitchen sink, a small surrender

that holds a ton of weight.