What Have We Done Wrong?
Do you grow tired of that pile of dishes that never goes away? Or that basket of laundry that grows when you fold them?

Isaiah said, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” Isaiah 49:4.

This was after God had “called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand He has concealed me; and He has also made me a select arrow; He has hidden me in His quiver. He said to me, ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will show My glory.” Isaiah 49:1-3.

We are made to give God glory. 
Yet in the toil of daily routine, every day stuff, we lose perspective—we forget our purpose, we lose who we are and why we are here.
We are to be that sharp sword that disciplines that wayward child who does not listen for the 1000^th time today.
We are that piercing correction to that thought in our own mind that says “just quit—why bother?”
By doing the daily things in obedience to Him, we bring God glory.

How does staying at home, doing dishes, laundry, and training children bring glory to God? 
Because that is what God has told us to do.
When we obey God, He is pleased.

We wonder, "Is that it?" 
Isaiah again gives the answer:
And now says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him (or in mother’s cases, to lead her children to God) so that Israel might be gathered to Him….
He says, ‘It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:5-6.

God doesn't want us to lose sight of His mission while we stay at home. We do not just "stay at home."
How does staying at home bring light to the world?
By building strong families, training strong leaders that go out into the world, we reflect God's light of what is right and good to a dark world.
We show a watching world that obedience to God brings blessing.
Though our rewards are not immediate. 

I recently was in line at Lowes. The cashier knows me and always comments about the helpfulness of the boys.
This last time, I was by myself.
She asked me, “What have we done wrong?” 
She knew church had something to do with how my children help me. But she goes to church and that doesn’t change her children.
I told her that we spank for obedience. She responded that she did too.
She commented that they didn’t do too many video games.
I told her we didn't have a tv and games weren't available for the boys.
But she felt at a loss to know what else to do. The line was getting long and it was difficult to shout through the plastic “virus” protector. 
It isn’t an easy, quick solution.
How do you explain that it is a lifestyle of obedience that brings change to everything we do?

Others have commented that they want to move to the country and do things as we have done.
It is not just doing things.
Following a list of do's and don'ts do not bring God glory.
It is by reading, listening and changing those little things that do not please Him that shows the light.
We want to do things like the world, because that is easy. But the results aren’t the same. 
It is obeying God in the little things that leads you to those big rewards.

We are called to be a light to the nations. Not just tell the world about Christ, but show that living His way does make a difference. 
But we must live His way—at home, where no one else sees, when you are tired and do not want to correct that act one more time, when you do not want to wash another dish, when you start to think that your job does not matter.

We are His light to reflect His way—even when we think no one is watching. Because what you do at home will be reflected by your children to the world.
We are His sword to reflect His truth—even when we can think of a thousand reasons why it would be easier not to.
Because what is right will be the only thing that stands.
We are His people to bring glory to Him—even if others do not listen or obey.
His Word still gives the answers to what we have done wrong, if we only read it and obey it—even in the little things.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

Motherhood
Find other articles about motherhood
here:
​Dear Master of Hands
Close to Home
Reflections from a Mom
Just the Mother-In-Law
A Mom Who Knew Her Job
Letting Go of my Fourth Son
Making a House a Home
How Do I Pray?
Picking up Acorns
Changed by God
Last Times
Are You a Failure?
What To Do Now?
Are You Tired of the Same Old Thing?
What's in a Book, Anyway?
Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
Confessions of a Desperate Mom
You Are Not Alone
A Wedding Remembered
Sunday Morning Excuses—Is It Worth It?
Stages of Parental Control
Homeschooling Myths Debunked
Seasons
Do You Know the Word?
Wake Up! Strengthen What Remains
Is Jezebel in Your Midst?
Are You Tired of Being a Mom?
A Day in a Mom's Life
What Talents Are You Wasting as a Mom?
What Have I Learned as a Mom?
What's in It for Me?
Adoption—The Heart of God
The Making of a Man part 4
The Making of a Man part 3
The Making of a Man part 2
The Making of a Man
Are Your Children Safe from Bullying?
Are Your Children Safe from Child-napping and Sexual Abuse?
Are Your Children Safe?
The Value of Remembering
Marjorie Rutherford: A Testimony to God's Faithfulness
Marjorie Conrad: A Testimony to God's Trustworthiness
Starting School Again
Dependence or Independence?
Breast Milk Made Especially for Your Child
What Is Essential for Babies?
My Space, My Time, My Needs
What's a Mom?
A Mother's Influence
A Mother of Boys
Prepare for the Lord: Thoughts for Moms from Exodus 19