“Motherhood’s monotony is clouding my joy,” I think to myself as I stand, unamused, over yet another load of dishes to wash. 

This isn’t what I signed up for when I became a stay-at-home mother, is it? The constant chores that seem fruitless? 

I feel as if all I do is clean, wash, and sweep, yet somehow the house remains in disarray, and my feelings of accomplishment plummet. 

I’m uninspired. I’m bored. I’m overwhelmed.  

And that’s . . . okay. This life isn’t meant to be a constant thrill of inspirational moments, I remind myself.  

Life isn’t meant to come easily and it certainly isn’t meant to be void of any difficulties.

And I’m thankful for that, because in these moments of being uninspired, of facing boredom, and feeling overwhelmed, we can show God just how much we love him.  

God doesn’t need a lavish display of affection, nor a beautifully articulated profession of love.  

God just wants us and our love in the daily, quiet moments. God wants our obedience and virtue as we continue down the path of holiness, made up of ordinary, every-day chores and interactions.  

There is beauty in the ordinary, and God put it there.  

God gave us our vocations as mothers, knowing the importance each daily task holds. 

We may not feel inspired with the dishes, but we are loving our family by doing them.  

We may not feel excited with the laundry, but we are serving our family by doing it.  

We may feel overwhelmed with our to-do list, but God will calm our hearts. 

We may feel unaccomplished in our homemaking, but in him, we are fulfilled.