For the past three years, I have been slowly working my way through the diary of St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul. It is a tough read, but full of so much wisdom. Jesus’s revelations to her are very applicable to our lives today, even (and especially) as busy mothers. For a quick background, St. Faustina was a mystic who often communicated personally with Jesus. She is known for her reception of the image and message of Divine Mercy. Here is an example of one of Faustina’s writings from her diary: “Jesus, you have given me to know and understand in what a soul’s greatness consists: not in great deeds, but in great love. Love has its worth, and it confers greatness on all of our deeds. Although our actions are small and ordinary in themselves, because of love, they become great and powerful before God.”

Could this be more perfect for mothers? We are not out in third-world countries curing sickness, and most of us are not speakers at conferences. There are times when I look at other people in these roles and think that their lives are more worthwhile because their jobs seem to have a bigger impact on the world. My job as a stay-at-home mother does not seem to go far beyond my own house. Our deeds at home may not seem like great deeds―making sandwiches for lunch, driving kids to practice and appointments, scrubbing vomit out of their hair at three in the morning—but when we mix these simple deeds with love, they become heavenly work. Our motherly deeds become as great as a third-world country missionary’s works when we are doing them out of love. Love is what gives all deeds their worth, and when we are performing tasks in the life God has laid out for us, we are pleasing him.

Let’s be honest, though. It is not always easy to have love in performing these motherly tasks. That’s where the help of Christ and Our Blessed Mother comes in. “Mother Mary, help me to pour all my love into my son as he screams at me because I cut his sandwich in half and not in fourths.” When I put love into my response, God’s love is shown to my children through me. Although I must often correct, I must always do so with the Father’s love. Lord, make me a strong instrument of love, and bless all my actions so that they can have the greatest worth in your eyes!